Emotional Influences on Eating Behavior and Hunger Awareness Among Generation Z University Students in Greece

Background: Emotional determinants of eating behavior are increasingly recognized as critical components of behavioral nutrition, particularly among Generation Z, a population characterized by heightened emotional reactivity and rapidly shifting dietary patterns. Objectives: This cross-sectional study examined the multidimensional structure of emotional influences on eating behavior among 411 university students in Greece and explored which emotional mechanisms are most closely associated with emotional hunger awareness. Methods: Using the Emotional Influence on Eating Behavior Questionnaire (EIEBQ), four constructs were assessed. Exploratory Factor Analysis supported a refined four-factor structure explaining 63.23% of variance, following the removal of one low-communality item. Results: Participants reported moderate emotional undereating (M = 3.17) and reduced enjoyment of food under emotional distress (M = 3.38), lower reliance on food for emotional overeating (M = 2.86), and high emotional awareness (M = 3.76). Regression analyses, although explaining a small proportion of variance (R2 = 0.042), indicated that emotional undereating (β = 0.155, p = 0.017) and emotional overeating (β = 0.135, p = 0.027) were the most consistent predictors of emotional hunger awareness. Conclusions: These findings suggest that emotional responses—rather than cognitive appraisal—may play a meaningful role in distinguishing emotional from physical hunger. By providing an initial psychometric evaluation and a behavior-focused framework, this study offers preliminary insights into emotional eating mechanisms among Generation Z university students and contributes to the development of targeted interventions promoting healthier and more sustainable dietary behaviors.