Abstract

This study aimed to examine the prevalence of food addiction and its associations with sleep quality and anthropometric measures, including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and body fat percentage, as well as to explore potential gender differences in these relationships. A cross-sectional design was employed, involving 876 university students (71.2% female, 28.8% male; mean age 21.1 ± 2.0 years). Food addiction was assessed using the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), while sleep quality was measured via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Anthropometric data were collected through standardized measurements of weight, height, waist circumference, and body fat percentage. The prevalence of food addiction was 22.8%, with females demonstrating a higher prevalence (25.6%) compared to males (16.1%, p=0.008). Participants with food addiction exhibited significantly higher BMI (25.1 ± 4.1 vs. 22.9 ± 3.4 kg/m², p

Key words: Food addiction, sleep quality, body mass index, waist circumference, body fat percentage, university students