Compulsive Buying Behaviors and Dietary Patterns in the Context of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ)

Ewa Jerzyk, Natalia Gluza () and Dobrosława Mruk-Tomczak
Additional contact information
Ewa Jerzyk: Marketing Institute, Poznań University of Economics and Business, Al. Niepodległości 10, 61-875 Poznań, Poland
Natalia Gluza: Marketing Institute, Poznań University of Economics and Business, Al. Niepodległości 10, 61-875 Poznań, Poland
Dobrosława Mruk-Tomczak: Marketing Institute, Poznań University of Economics and Business, Al. Niepodległości 10, 61-875 Poznań, Poland

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-22

Abstract: Exploring the interactions between compulsive buying and dietary practices is crucial in terms of understanding these behaviors from a behavioral standpoint. This paper investigates the relationships between compulsive buying (CB) and non-compulsive buying (non-CB), focusing on the influence of dietary habits (TFEQ), body mass index (BMI), and emotional valence. The study involved a representative sample of 707 Polish adults and employed tools such as the Compulsive Buying Scale, the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ), and the Emotional Appetite Questionnaire (EMAQ). The results revealed that compulsive buyers (CBs) had higher levels of cognitive restraint, emotional eating, and uncontrolled eating than non-compulsive buyers (non-CBs). Importantly, emotional valence—which includes both positive and negative emotions—significantly influenced dietary behaviors, illustrating the complex role emotions play in food consumption. Additionally, the results highlighted that the BMI significantly affects these relationships, suggesting different eating patterns across BMI categories. This study underscores the need for targeted interventions focusing on psychological and nutritional aspects to address these interconnected compulsive behaviors.

Keywords: compulsivity; compulsive behaviors; dietary patterns; emotional eating; TFEQ; EMAQ; BMI (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/15/6903/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/15/6903/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:15:p:6903-:d:1712879

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().