The association between food preoccupation on social media, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and food addiction: a preliminary analysis

Purpose Food addiction is an emerging global concern with serious health consequences. While previous studies have linked social media food preoccupation with food addiction, limited attention has been paid to associated psychosocial factors. This study aims to determine the influence of social media food preoccupation, depression and anxiety on food addiction among university students in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 325 students from a private Malaysian university. Instruments included sociodemographic questions, the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0, Social Network Sites Food Preoccupation Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalised Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire-7. Findings The participants were young adults (mean age = 22 years; SD = 3), of which a majority were females (75.7%). Males reported significantly higher levels of food addiction scores (mean = 62.96, SD = 40.49) compared to females (mean = 50.98, SD = 36.00, p = 0.013). Social media food preoccupation [r(323) = 0.294, p < 0.001], depression [r(323)=0.446, p < 0.001] and anxiety [r(323) = 0.338, p < 0.001] were significantly correlated with food addiction. The strongest predictor of food addiction was depression (β = 0.382, p < 0.001), and social media food preoccupation (β = 0.315, p < 0.001), while females had significantly lower food addiction scores (β = −0.144, p = 0.002) than males. Practical implications These results underscore the importance of evaluating depression and social media food engagement in addressing food addiction. Originality/value This study uniquely examines the combined influence of social media food preoccupation, depression and anxiety on food addiction among Malaysian university students, contributing regionally relevant insights to the growing body of psychosocial food addiction research.