3. Results

3.1. Demographic Characteristics of the Population
Of the 24,968 participants, 50% were under the age of 50, and 56% were female, as shown in Table 1. The median body mass index (BMI) was 25 (interquartile range (IQR): 23–28). In total, 45% of participants reported substantial worries concerning health-related consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, while 17% expressed substantial worries related to outcomes on personal economy. Twenty percent of the overall population scored above the threshold of psychological distress. As to consequences of the pandemic and lockdown, 16% of the participants were or had been placed in quarantine, 37% were working from home, and 8% were temporarily laid off from work.

3.2. Prevalence of Emotional Eating in Females and Males in Different Age Groups
Overall, 62% of females and 43% of males reported episodes of emotional eating during the past week, as shown in Figure 1. Frequent emotional eating was reported by 16% of females and 9% of males. Emotional eating was least prevalent in the oldest age groups, χ2 (30, N = 24,968) = 1200, p < 0.001).

3.3. Consumption of High-Sugar Foods and Beverages
Twenty-two percent of those with substantial worries reported a high weekly intake of high-sugar food items, compared to 19% of those without substantial worries (Figure 2). In participants with psychological distress, the numbers were 27% and 19%, respectively. As to high-sugar beverages, 11% of worried participants had a frequent weekly intake, compared to 7% of those without substantial worries. Among the psychologically distressed participants, 15% reported a high weekly intake of high-sugar beverages, compared to 8% of the non-distressed population.

3.4. Emotional Eating in Relation to COVID-19-Related Worries and Psychological Distress
Female participants were more inclined than men to report emotional eating (OR 1.9 (CI95% 1.8–2.0)), as shown in Table 2. When comparing participants in the age group between 18 and 30 years, those in older age categories predominantly reported less emotional eating. Conversely, participants aged 30–39 years were more inclined to report emotional eating (OR 1.3 (CI95% 1.1–1.4)). Substantial health-related worry was weakly associated with emotional eating (OR 1.3 (CI95% 1.2–1.5)), whereas substantial worry related to personal economy had a stronger association with emotional eating (OR 1.7 (CI95% 1.5–1.9)). The strongest association was found between psychological distress and emotional eating (OR 4.2 (CI95% 3.9–4.4)).