Background: Emotional eating (EE), defined as eating in response to a range of emotions, has been previously associated with poor diet and obesity. Since there are limited data from non-Western populations, this study aims to examine the prevalence and factors associated with EE among urban Chinese university students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 424 university students (aged 18–24 years) from two large universities in Hong Kong in 2019. Respondents completed an anonymous online questionnaire that contained background questions, an emotional eating subscale of the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ), and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21). Two-sample independent t-test and multiple regression analyses were conducted to test the association of study variables with negative emotional eating. Results: There was over a three-fold higher likelihood of negative EE among females (14.8%) when compared with their male counterparts (4.5%) (OR = 3.7, p < 0.05). Having at least mild depressive symptoms was the only independent factor associated with negative EE among males (OR = 10.1) while for females, negative EE was independently associated with not having a romantic partner (OR = 3.45), having depressive symptoms (OR = 44.5), and having at least mild stress (OR = 5.65). Anxiety levels were not independently associated with negative EE for either gender. Both male and female students with negative EE had significantly lower self-perceived health scores, higher body mass index, and lower life satisfaction scores. Conclusions: This study revealed that negative EE is prevalent among female Chinese university students and not uncommon among male students. Management of negative EE should be included as a component of university mental health promotion programmes in the region.

Background: Alcohol expectancies, i.e., the perceived consequences of drinking, have been reported to be important factor in predicting drinking behaviors. However, studies in the Asia region were largely limited to school-based samples. This study aimed to be the first to explore drinking expectancies among urban Chinese young adults. Methods: In 2020, eight focus group discussions were conducted with Hong Kong Chinese young adults aged 18–34 (n = 53). The participants included heavy drinkers, light drinkers, and non-drinkers from a wide range of occupations and educational backgrounds. Thematic analysis was conducted to uncover common alcohol expectancies. Results: Six themes emerged from this study. Four themes that were commonly reported in the literature were the negative consequences of drinking, social bonding, confidence enhancement, and tension reduction. The study also uncovered two culturally relevant alcohol expectancies: health benefits and business drinking expectancies. In contrast to Western samples, Chinese young adults did not report drinking expectancies related to cognitive enhancement or increased sexual interest. Conclusion: Alcohol harm reduction strategies will need to address the positive drinking expectancies uncovered in this study. Future policy discussions in this emerging alcohol market region should consider greater scrutiny of the role of alcohol marketing in the propagation of positive drinking expectancies.

Background: Young adults are highly active users of social networking sites. Past studies have shown that social media use is correlated with the use of illicit drugs and tobacco. In recent years, the alcohol industry has scaled up its digital advertising expenditures on sites such as Facebook with broad-reaching campaigns to encourage youth drinking. This study examines social media marketing strategies targeting Hong Kong young adults by popular alcohol brands and drinking venues. Methods: A mixed-method content analysis of 974 social media posts published by ten alcohol brands and four alcohol-serving venues on Facebook in 2011–2019. Descriptive statistics were conducted to understand the prevalence of social media alcohol marketing strategies. Results: The sample contained 639 alcohol brand posts (217.0 reactions and 7.8 shares per post). The main marketing practices involved were linking products with a specific consumption time and place (40.2%) and with branded events that occurred offline, or “real-world tie-ins” (36.3%). The main theme invoked was crafting an identity (80.1%) by associating drinking with an aspirational lifestyle (25%). For venues, 335 posts were captured (16.9 reactions and 1.7 shares per post). The main practices employed were associated with time and place (60.3%) and real-world tie-ins (36.4%). The main themes were crafting an identity (85.1%) by associating drinking with a party setting (53.4%) and celebratory events (30.4%). Over 70% of the posted comments were positive and suggestive of alcohol consumption. Of note, only 8.1% of the posts by brands and none by the venues contained messages promoting responsible consumption. Conclusions: The absence of ‘responsible drinking’ messages combined with the promotion of social drinking images where binge drinking commonly occurs is likely to encourage heavy alcohol consumption in this age group. Government health authorities should consider establishing regional, evidence-based policies on alcohol social media marketing.