Gender and Psychological State, More than Pandemic-Related Lifestyle Change, Are Associated with Emotional Over-Eating Among University Students and Staff in Moldova
- 1Faculty of Food Technology, Technical University of Moldova, MD-2004 Chișinău, Moldova
- 2Faculty of Computers, Informatics and Microelectronics, Technical University of Moldova, MD-2004 Chișinău, Moldova
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.
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BibTeX
@article{siminiuc2026gender,
title = {{Gender and Psychological State, More than Pandemic-Related Lifestyle Change, Are Associated with Emotional Over-Eating Among University Students and Staff in Moldova}},
author = {Rodica Siminiuc and Dinu Țurcanu and Sergiu Siminiuc},
journal = {Nutrients},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3390/nu18213688},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/21/3688},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Gender and Psychological State, More than Pandemic-Related Lifestyle Change, Are Associated with Emotional Over-Eating Among University Students and Staff in Moldova
AU - Rodica Siminiuc
AU - Dinu Țurcanu
AU - Sergiu Siminiuc
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/07
JO - Nutrients
DO - 10.3390/nu18213688
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/21/3688
AB - 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.
SN - 2072-6643
ER -