Background: Emotional eating (EmE) is a maladaptive eating behavior that has been frequently observed among university students, possibly due to academic stress and lifestyle changes. However, its specific assessment in health science students has been poorly addressed, even though this population faces high levels of academic stress and emotional burden. Objective: This study explores the association between self-perceived health status, life satisfaction, and EmE among university students in the health field on the north coast of Peru. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 1213 students. Self-perceived health, life satisfaction, and EmE were assessed using validated instruments. In addition, sociodemographic data were considered as covariates and possible confounding factors. T-tests, chi-square tests, and Poisson regression with robust variance were applied. Results: EmE was more prevalent in women (78.0%) than in men (66.8%; p < 0.001). In addition, an inverse association was observed between self-perceived health and emotional eating: students with average self-perceived health (adjusted OR = 0.88; 95% CI: 0.83–0.94) and those with high self-perceived health (adjusted OR = 0.75; 95% CI: 0.69–0.81) showed a progressively lower prevalence of EmE compared to those with low self-perceived health. Similarly, high life satisfaction was associated with a lower prevalence of EmE (adjusted PR = 0.88; 95% CI: 0.80–0.96). Conclusions: Low self-perceived health and life dissatisfaction were significantly associated with a higher probability of EmE in medical and nursing students. These results highlight the need to strengthen university programs on mental health, emotional regulation, and subjective well-being promotion as strategies to prevent maladaptive eating behaviors in academic settings, considering gender.

Background: Eating habits such as fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption and breakfast frequency are well recognized for their contribution to overall health and well-being. However, the psychological mechanisms that explain the link between these habits and life satisfaction remain poorly explored among university students in the health sciences. Objective: To examine whether positive affect mediates the relationship between FV consumption, breakfast frequency, and life satisfaction among health sciences students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 511 students. FV consumption, breakfast frequency, positive affect, and life satisfaction were assessed using self-report measures. Mediation models were applied to estimate direct and indirect associations. Results: FV consumption and breakfast frequency were positively associated with both positive affect and life satisfaction. Although the direct associations with life satisfaction were not significant, the indirect associations through positive affect were significant (FV: β = 0.114, 95% CI [0.055, 0.173]; breakfast: β = 0.133, 95% CI [0.073, 0.192]). The model accounted for 51.4% of the variance in life satisfaction. Conclusions: The results highlight the role of positive affect as a psychological mechanism linking everyday eating habits to life satisfaction, emphasizing the need to integrate emotional components into strategies for promoting healthy lifestyles among university populations.