Relationship between Emotional Eating and Diet Quality, Physical Activity Levels and Signs and Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety in Pregnant Women followed in a Tertiary Prenatal Care Service

• Grant number: 25/04469-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2025
• End date: November 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Maternal and Child Health
• Principal Investigator: Rafaela Alkmin da Costa
• Grantee: Larissa Silva Camacho
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

With the increase in obesity, caused by both psychosocial factors and poor nutrition and/or metabolic disorders, there is a parallel rise in the incidence of diabetes mellitus. For pregnant women, the risk of perinatal complications increases exponentially with the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), which can have repercussions for both the mother and the fetus. Often, eating habits are associated with other health aspects, such as physical activity, as well as psychological factors and the relationship between emotions and food. These are relevant aspects that can be determinants of health and disease in the pregnancy-puerperal cycle. In this regard, the present study aims to analyze the association between "emotional eating," dietary quality, and psychological and health aspects during pregnancy. To this end, we propose a cross-sectional, observational, and analytical study, nested within a prospective cohort, including pregnant women attending prenatal care at the Obstetrics Clinic of the Hospital das Clínicas FMUSP, through the application of questionnaires designed to assess the dietary and psychological aspects of the pregnant women and thus analyze the correlation of scores between these questionnaires in women in the first trimester of pregnancy.