In a new study, researchers found that psychological stress and emotional eating could contribute to obesity.
They found that people who have financial issues are more likely to be obese due to psychological distress and poor coping strategies such as emotional eating.
The research was conducted by a team from the University of Liverpool and Edith Cowan University.
In the study, the team examined 150 people from North West England from a range of socioeconomic status (SES).
These people completed questionnaires measuring psychological distress, emotional eating and resilience. They also reported their income and education level.
The team found that lower SES was linked to higher psychological distress, and higher distress was linked to higher emotional eating, which in turn predicted obesity.
People with lower SES were more likely to eat high-calorie foods, which made them have a higher risk of obesity.
On the other hand, people with high SES also linked to emotional eating, but eating was more related to boredom.
The researchers suggest people with high stress need to have healthy coping strategies to protect their health.
The new finding may provide useful information to develop better interventions to prevent obesity.
The leader of the study is Dr. Charlotte Hardman from the University of Liverpool.
The study is published in the research journal Obesity.
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