{
  "abstract": "Background/Objectives: Appetitive traits are rarely studied in Eastern Europe, and few pandemic surveys measured individual lifestyle change. This study tested whether retrospectively reported pandemic-related changes in physical activity and perceived health are associated with emotional over-eating independently of gender, cohort and psychological state, and preliminarily evaluated the Adult Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (AEBQ) in Romanian. Methods: Cross-sectional online survey at the Technical University of Moldova (2021; 623 students, 121 staff) with the AEBQ, pre-pandemic and current physical activity, and health items derived from the 36-item Short Form Health Survey, analysed by confirmatory factor analysis, invariance testing, multivariable regression and equivalence tests. Results: The eight-factor model fitted acceptably with diagonally weighted least squares (comparative fit index 0.911, root mean square error of approximation 0.057) and met change-in-fit criteria for scalar invariance across gender; Cronbach’s α ranged from 0.63 to 0.91. Reported median moderate-to-vigorous activity fell by more than half in students and by 44% in staff (p < 0.001); 37% of staff and 22% of students reported worse health than before the pandemic. In the primary linear model, emotional over-eating was associated with female gender, more emotional role limitations, a lower mental health score and lower current activity, whereas the reported decline in activity, perceived health deterioration and confirmed infection were not; equivalence tests excluded lifestyle-change effects beyond ±0.10 scale points. The secondary logistic model was consistent except for current activity. Conclusions: Emotional over-eating was associated with gender and psychological state more than with reported pandemic-related lifestyle change; if confirmed prospectively, this would support integrating mental-health support into university nutrition services. The Romanian AEBQ provided internally consistent emotional-eating subscales.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Faculty of Food Technology, Technical University of Moldova, MD-2004 Chișinău, Moldova",
    "Faculty of Computers, Informatics and Microelectronics, Technical University of Moldova, MD-2004 Chișinău, Moldova"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Rodica Siminiuc",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4257-1840"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Dinu Țurcanu",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5540-4246"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Sergiu Siminiuc",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1531-1560"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/eh8pd7hywkmfd.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/nu18213688",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "eh8pd7hywkmfd",
  "issns": [
    "2072-6643"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/21/3688",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-07",
  "publisher": "MDPI AG",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/eh8pd7hywkmfd.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-10T00:21:40Z",
      "native_id": "10.3390/nu18213688",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/21/3688"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "issn:2072-6643",
      "subfield": "nutrition"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Gender and Psychological State, More than Pandemic-Related Lifestyle Change, Are Associated with Emotional Over-Eating Among University Students and Staff in Moldova",
  "title_text": "Gender and Psychological State, More than Pandemic-Related Lifestyle Change, Are Associated with Emotional Over-Eating Among University Students and Staff in Moldova",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-10T00:21:40Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/eh8pd7hywkmfd",
  "venue": "Nutrients",
  "versions": []
}