The Association Between Perceived Stress, Dietary Intake, and Food Addiction Among Saudi Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Perceived stress refers to an individual's experience of stress when encountering a stressor and has been linked to behaviors such as overeating and unhealthy eating. This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between perceived stress levels, food addiction, and food preferences among adults in Saudi Arabia. A self-administered survey among 541 participants was conducted with a sample of adults aged 18 years and above living in Saudi Arabia, capturing data on socio-demographic characteristics, the modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0, dietary intake using short FFQ, and perceived stress scale. Higher stress levels were significantly associated with younger age, being single, female gender, student status, and lower physical activity levels (P < 0.05). After adjusting for potential confounders, perceived stress was negatively correlated with preferences for nuts (-0.881, P = 0.005), vegetables (-0.835, P = 0.006), and fruits (-1.453, P < 0.001). No significant associations were observed between perceived stress and the intake of savory snacks, sweet snacks, fast food, or soft and energy drinks. In addition, a strong inverse association was identified between food addiction and low stress levels (χ² = 38.113, P < 0.001). This study highlights significant associations between perceived stress, food addiction, and food preferences in the Saudi Arabian adult population. Future research should implement longitudinal study designs to enhance the understanding of these relationships.