Target User Group
We are targeting undergraduate students (at Stanford) who have experienced stress eating disorder (emotional eating as a way to suppress negative emotions due to academic pressures). Participants should be comfortable in disclosing their emotions and eating habits during interviews and are able to record their behaviors regularly. We will prioritize students who report noticing patterns of eating during stressful situations and who are willing to share their experiences openly.
Screener
This is the screener filter we will be using: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSftWlIveI3yDgisQzcW2KgY_VjKQKtA_PuOojC_5kIadRmF0Q/viewform?usp=publish-editor
This screener helps us target participants who are undergraduate students that have noticed their stress eating patterns, and who are eligible and capable of recording their habits on a regular basis. We also included questions to screen candidates’ openness to share their experiences as this would be important to our study.
Diary Study Design
We will distribute a notion sheet to every participant. On that notion sheet, there are 5 sections (Monday – Friday). Under each section, there is a link that directs the participant to each corresponding day’s google form. The participants would hand in that google form whenever they experienced stress eating behaviors on that day, and the form could be submitted multiple times throughout the day.
The forms contain a majority of multiple choice questions with a mix of logistical and content questions. First we will ask for the time (morning, noon, afternoon, evening) at which it happened as well as the locations (dorm, library, classroom, etc) when it happened. Then we will ask what was the main source of stress (academic pressure, social stress, emotional stress, fatigue, boredom). How did you feel before eating? How did you feel after eating? What did you eat? Finally we would ask whether the participants were aware of their behaviors when they were doing it?
These questions are straightforward and mostly multiple choice questions, making it easier for participants to track their behaviors. Meanwhile, the collection of logistical and content questions would give a more comprehensive understanding of the situation.
Data collection plan
Data will be collected through a short online diary form that participants complete each time they engage in stress-related eating over a five day period. Participants will be encouraged to submit entries as close to the moment of the behavior as possible to ensure accurate reflection. The diary will primarily collect multiple-choice selections and brief written reflections. Participants will receive a daily reminder to complete their entries and will have access to a weekly notion sheet containing the form link for each day. The research team will review submissions incrementally throughout the study to monitor participation and identify patterns.
Study Materials
Introduction document:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/10g2EHfaWIqHrSpzKst9iTaTrYL91_3I7oAqkpvk3sts/edit?usp=sharing
Discussion guide:
Intro and closing emails:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Sv-9EpVBk8r28L8pOBx-ifbp-a0Noq62JK9f89Z4APk/edit?usp=sharing
Sujin Lyu (Team Anaconda), January 15th 2026, Screener and Baseline study
