Introduction

Stress eating, also known as emotional eating, is a coping mechanism where individuals turn to food for
comfort and relief during times of stress, anxiety, or even boredom. Emotional eating is also defined as
the tendency to overreact in response to negative emotions such as anxiety or irritability (Frayn et al
2018).

Additionally, stress eating comes with numerous underlying factors such as cortisol secretion, in
response to psychological reactions the body secretes this hormone to protect the body. However, if
this is elevated for prolonged periods, this can lead to increased food consumption (Gager,n.d).

This inquiry focuses on the students who overcome stress by eating a lot. Everyone has a different way
of overcoming stress, but it depends on one person. Delving into this topic also provides invaluable
insights into human behavioral responses. It often involves the consumption of high-calorie, high-fat, or
sugary foods, which can provide a quick boost in mood due to their effects on brain chemistry. In
addition, recent findings that about 65% of adolescents experienced moderate stress symptoms, and
about 9% experienced high-stress symptoms (Anjum et al., 2022). Young adults in America are reporting
a higher stress level than the older generation (Medaris, 2023).

According to the study by Finch et al. (2019), most foods can affect our eating behavior, such as high-
sugar goods and high-fat foods. That could potentially lead to visceral fat accumulation. This study also
compares nonhuman animals. And shows similar results. Many factors are affecting the behavior of such
things, such as the consumption of hyperpalatable foods, which could lead to changes in allostatic load
and trigger neurobiological adaptations that promote increasingly compulsive behavior. This association
may be mediated by alterations in the HPA axis, glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and other
appetite-related hormones and hypothalamic neuropeptides (Yau HC et al. 2014). Furthermore, kandiah
et al., (2006) also state that repeated stress-induced over time may contribute negatively to the overall
health of an individual, both physically and psychologically. Psychological stress has been suggested to
change the dietary pattern towards more unhealthy choices and as such to contribute to overweight
(Michels et al.2012).

With all the data that have been gathered, many studies have explored aspects of stress eating, and
commonly that been overlooked by stress eating were college students. The gathered data concerning
the prevalence of high school students who engaged in stress eating are lacking. Moreover, high school
students who are bound to stress eating are more likely to have chronic diseases since they start at a
young age.

Thus, this research examination of senior high school students who are bound to stress eating will be
necessary to further know the causes and influences on reasons being bonded to stress eating.