This study investigated the factors affecting restrained and emotional eating according to the BMI of college women in Seoul. Based on their weight, 514 college women were divided into 3 groups. General demographics, nutrient consumption, eating habits and DEBQ were subsequently evaluated. Multiple regression analysis was performed to determine the factors responsible for restrained and emotional eating in each group. Percentage of the overweight or obese group having negative emotions, such as frequency of overeating (p<0.05), habitual eating, regret, and guilt after overeating, was higher as compared to the other groups (p<0.001). Considering factors that affect restrained eating, negative emotion after overeating had a positive correlation in the underweight group (β=0.481, p<0.001). In the normalweight group, the BMI (β=0.201, p<0.001), total food intake (β=0.241, p=0.002), and negative emotion after overeating (β=0.284, p<0.001) positively affected restrained eating. In the underweight group, habitual eating (β=0.292, p=0.002) and negative emotions after overeating (β=0.233, p=0.012) were determined to affect emotional eating. Moreover, habitual eating (β=0.290, p<0.001) and negative emotions after overeating (β=0.172, p=0.004) were observed to influence emotional eating in the normal weight group. In the overweight and obese groups, habitual eating was determined to affect emotional eating (β=0.410, p<0.001). Taken together, these results provide a basis for creating a weight control program for young women having undesirable eating behaviors, such as restrained and emotional eating.

This study examined the relationship between coping style for stress and emotional eating behavior focused on gender difference. A total of 475 college students(males, 244; females, 231) participated in this study. The results were as follows. First, there were significant gender difference in coping style for stress. The scores of male students were significantly higher than those of female students in the problem-focused and self-comforting coping styles, whereas scores of female students were significantly higher than male students in social support pursuit and emotion-focused coping styles. Second, there were significant gender difference in emotional eating behavior. Female students reported higher emotional eating behavior than male students. Third, male students preferred a problem-focused coping style, whereas female students preferred a social support pursuit coping style the most. Fourth, the interaction of gender and coping style for stress were not related to the emotional eating behavior. Both of male and female students who preferred an emotion focused coping style reported the highest score in emotional eating behavior. The limitations of the present study and suggestions for future research were discussed.

This research was performed to confirm the four emotional eating types and examine the differences in BMI, ego resilience, and the level of college adaptation among those types. The total of 485 Korean college students (male 249, female 236) participated in this study. The main results were as follows, First, the emotional eating types were divided into four types based on positive emotional eating and negative emotional eating, and the type of more - eating with positive emotion and less? eating with negative emotion was the largest one among all the types. Second, there were no significant distinctions on frequency between emotional eating types and BMI. Third, individuals with less - eating for both positive and negative emotions showed the highest ego resilience level, whereas those with more - eating for both positive and negative emotions showed the lowest. Fourth, individuals with less - eating for both positive and negative emotions showed the highest score in the level of adaptation in college whereas those with more - eating for negative emotion and less - eating for positive emotion showed the lowest. Limitations of the present study and suggestions for future research were discussed.