Psychology, health & medicineNov 7, 2017

How common night eating syndrome is among Chinese college students and its links to background factors and mental distress

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Mar 19, 2026

Abstract

The prevalence of night eating syndrome (NES) among Chinese college students is 2.8%.

After excluding students with binge eating, the prevalence of NES is 2.4%.
The occurrence of NES is associated with gender differences.
Higher night eating scores correlate with increased psychological distress, with correlation coefficients ranging from .396 to .471.
Given China's large population, the number of affected college students could be substantial.

Simplified

Night eating syndrome (NES) has primarily been studied in Western societies, and the prevalence and associated factors of NES in China still remain unknown. This study examined the prevalence, demographic correlates, and association with psychological distress of NES among Chinese college students. By using the Chinese version of Night Eating Questionnaire (C-NEQ), data were collected from 909 university students sampled from three provinces in China. Results showed that the prevalence of NES was 2.8% (2.4% after excluding students with binge eating); the occurrence of NES was correlated with gender ([Formula: see text]) and the higher night eating scores were significantly correlated with higher psychological distress (rs = .396-.471, ps < .001). Because of the huge population base in China, there could be a large number of Chinese college students with NES. Therefore, more attention is needed for prevention, detection, and treatment of NES for Chinese college students.

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How common night eating syndrome is among Chinese college students and its links to background factors and mental distress

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