Emoções negativas no desenvolvimento e manutenção da obesidade infantil: uma revisão de literatura

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the influence of negative emotions on the development and maintenance of childhood obesity, considering their relationship with eating behavior, lifestyle habits, and family and psychosocial factors. Method: This is an integrative literature review conducted in the PubMed database, using the descriptors “pediatric obesity”, “emotional eating”, “emotional regulation”, “psychological stress”, “eating behavior” and “food social space”, combined with the Boolean operators AND and OR. Original studies published between 2019 and 2025, in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, involving children and adolescents and addressing the relationship between negative emotions, eating behavior, and childhood obesity were included. Results: Three observational studies, one multicenter study, one clinical trial, and one longitudinal study were selected to compose the review. These studies made it possible to verify the association between stress, anxiety, and emotional distress with higher consumption of ultra-processed foods, fast food, and highly palatable foods, as well as increased screen time, sedentary behavior, and poorer diet quality. A significant influence of the family environment on eating habits, obesogenic behavior, and children’s emotional self-regulation was also observed. Conclusion: Negative emotions were associated with changes in eating behavior and the development of childhood obesity, demonstrating that emotional, family, and behavioral factors exert an important influence on the child’s relationship with food.