Psychosocial Correlates of Food Addiction and Its Association with Quality of Life in a Non-Clinical Adolescent Sample

BACKGROUND: Most studies related to food addiction have focused on assessing food addiction among adult populations. However, evidence in adolescents has been limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of food addiction in a non-clinical adolescent sample. Psychosocial correlations of food addiction and associations with different quality of life dimensions were also tested. METHODS: The sample included 593 Chinese adolescents (51.9% female; age range: 13⁻17 years). All participants provided sociodemographic information and completed questionnaires regarding food addiction, depression, self-esteem, loneliness, psychosocial problems, and quality of life (QoL). RESULTS: The prevalence of food addiction was 6.91% in our sample. A multivariable logistic regression indicated that food addiction was associated with depression (AOR = 2.58; 95% CI: 1.32⁻5.05), low self-esteem (AOR = 2.75; 95% CI: 1.31⁻5.78), and loneliness (AOR = 2.30; 95% CI: 1.14⁻4.65). After multivariable adjustments for sociodemographic and psychological variables, food addiction was associated with lower overall QoL and psychosocial health of QoL. CONCLUSIONS: Food addiction may be common among Chinese adolescents. Food addiction was associated with depression, low self-esteem, and loneliness. Lastly, food addiction was also associated with lower overall QoL and psychosocial health of QoL. Future public health programs and interventions consider targeting the factors associated with food addiction to increase healthy eating behaviors among adolescents.