Understanding Food Addiction and Its Relationship With Age, Gender, Marital Status, and Education in Saudi Arabia

Table 8: Distribution of the Food addiction according to the age

Food addiction is a concern for public health, and research has shown how the association of food addiction with age causes significant health issues. According to statistics, over 340 million children and adolescents worldwide are affected by being overweight. Studies reveal that the susceptibility to food addiction among individuals is relatively more common in those who are younger than the ones who are older (Wang et al., 2022). The above table is evidence of this hypothesis, as the test subjects under 40 are more likely to have food addiction than older participants. Many theories support this hypothesis. The addictive properties of specific foods – particularly those with high levels of fat and sugar – have frequently been associated with compulsive eating behaviours. These normally include processed foods which have cholesterol levels. However, some theories suggest that these effects are predominantly seen among younger populations due to enhanced activation of reward centres in the brain.

Table 9: Distribution of the relationship between food addiction and gender.

The relationship between food addiction and gender has its merits. Fundamentally, different studies show that women are more susceptible to food addiction than men. It’s worth noting that these study tests vary according to the region and various elements, and therefore, more studies need to be conducted to reveal maximum results. However, several explanations can prove the gender difference in food addiction. For example, women are more likely to consume more foods due to hormonal imbalance, societal pressure, and a reaction to emotional coping whereby they engage in stress eating.

Table 10: Distribution of the Food addiction regarding marital status.

Even though there is limited research into the distribution relationship of food addiction regarding marital status. The above classification shows significant differences between the categories. Many studies have varying results, and the assumption is that married couples would have mild food addiction because they are happy and fulfilled. However, the above table proves the contrary. There are different explanations for the varied results. One conceivable possibility is that people involved in committed and affectionate relationships possess greater strategies for adapting to stressful events and negative emotional states, which can diminish the risk of adopting food to manage such circumstances.

Table 11: The food addiction among participants with different levels of education in Saudi

The classification above details the relationship between food addiction and the level of education in Saudi. Again, there are few studies conducted to confirm the various assumptions. However, generally, people with higher levels of education tend to have a healthy approach towards consumption compared to those with lower education levels. The above table shows that university and postgraduate students have lower food action tendencies than the rest.

In conclusion, the study above proves the 18-28 age bracket is more susceptible to food addiction. Different social and behavioral agents can contribute to overindulgence in food consumption. However, this problem can be remedied through appropriate public awareness and the adoption of healthy habits for better life quality. In addition, parents and guardians play a critical role in shaping their children; hence, proper feeding techniques can help develop better healthy habits. For example, encouraging children to exercise can strengthen their minds because they will develop mindful eating and healthy habits as they grow.

Reference

Wang, D., Huang, K., Schulte, E., Zhou, W., Li, H., Hu, Y., & Fu, J. (2022). The Association Between Food Addiction and Weight Status in School-Age Children and Adolescents. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13.