From Books to Binges: Academic Workload Stress, Emotional Eating Assessment, and Body Mass Index Among University Students in Metro Manila

Online learning has become the new standard in the educational system due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This change has resulted in various drawbacks, such as an increased workload and a feeling of isolation, which are stress factors among students. Furthermore, students are inclined to consume more through emotional eating due to increased stress from their academic workloads, leading to an increased Body Mass Index (BMI). This study describes the degree of emotional eating among university students during the pandemic. It investigates the influence of academic workload stress on emotional eating and, in turn, influences their body mass index. This study uses a quantitative approach through a survey which includes using a self-administered questionnaire to ascertain students\u27 academic workload stress, emotional eating assessments, and body mass index. The sample comprises 274 university students enrolled in Metro Manila. This study found that academic workload stress does not have a significant direct effect on the BMI of a student. The results indicate that emotional eating mediates its relationship. This finding suggests that BMI is affected by academic workload stress through an indirect path having emotional eating as a mediator. The study found that emotional eating is prevalent among university students, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is associated with increased body mass index. It highlights the need to increase awareness of emotional eating and develop effective interventions to address it