Background <p>Obesity is one of the serious health problems among people with psychosis at the different stages. Therefore, finding effective strategies to mitigate and manage it in a timely manner before complications arise represents a big challenge for the early intervention scientific community. In this study, we aimed to contribute in advancing the field by testing the moderating role of sex between food addiction and body mass index (BMI) in a sample of young people at-risk for psychosis.</p> Methods <p>A cross-sectional study was conducted during the period from February to April 2025 among young community adults (aged 18–35) from Tunisia who screened positive to psychosis risk on the Prodromal Questionnaire-Brief (i.e. a total frequency score of&#xa0;9 and over).</p> Results <p>Mean BMI was 24.02 ± 3.83 kg/m2, with 40 (27.0%) of participants in the overweight range, 12 (8.1%) in the obese range. The prevalence of food addiction in our sample was of 16.9%, with a higher prevalence in females (23.0%) relative to males (8.2%). The interaction food addiction by sex (Beta = 0.15; p = 0.041; 95% CI = 0.01; 0.29) was significantly associated with BMI. In females, higher food addiction was significantly associated with higher BMI (Beta = 0.15; p = 0.041; 95% CI = 0.01; 0.29). However, this association was not significant in males.</p> Conclusion <p>In light of this study’s results, it is concluded that sex could serve as a significant moderator of the association between food addiction and BMI in community individuals screened as at-risk for psychosis, and should be considered an important determinant in promoting physical health and preventing obesity in this specific group.</p> <p><i>Level of evidence</i> Level V–Cross-sectional observational study.</p>