Risky eating behaviors detected among college students during the pandemic

Alicia Nephtali Granillo Fernandez
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology student

The psychosocial impact of the pandemic is becoming very relevant due to the manifestations of psychological problems associated with the presence of stress, confusion and anger. This can be seen in the modification of daily routines, deterioration of family relationships, and sleep disorders.

The closure of educational facilities has changed the face-to-face mode of teaching to a distance mode. To date, the vast majority of students in the country take their classes virtually and this condition complicates the academic load as well as conflicting interactions and inadequate health habits.

Both students and teachers have developed various ailments that have diminished, in one way or another, their physical and/or mental quality. In the case of university students, there is an increase in symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression, according to studies published by Dr. Samantha K. Brooks, Rebecca K. Brooks, Rebecca K. Brooks and Rebecca K. Brooks. Brooks, Rebecca K. Webster, Luis E. Smith and Lisa Woodland, researchers published in the prestigious British medical journal The Lancent.

Especially during the strictest confinement it was observed that unhealthy habits-behaviors and weight gain were associated with stress, and given that many people coped with stress by eating differently, the present study aimed to investigate whether there is a relationship between academic stress and risky eating behaviors in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic contingency among university students in Hidalgo, under the direction of Dr. Rebeca María Elena Guzmán Salazar, PhD. Rebeca María Elena Guzmán Saldaña, research professor and Head of the Psychology Department at the Institute of Health Sciences, where she is in her ninth semester of undergraduate studies.

S. Salinas and L. Álvarez, both university students.

How and what information do we look for?

The research project entitled Academic Stress and Risk Eating Behaviors in the Context of the Pandemic Contingency by COVID-19 in Hidalgo University Students was achieved through a non-probabilistic sampling, under a non-experimental, cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study type and the voluntary participation of 270 students between 19 to 24 years of age; Of these, 77% were female and 23% male undergraduate students; in addition to the application of the Systemic Cognitive Inventory, the Brief Questionnaire on Risky Eating Behaviors, a questionnaire on School Situations and Problems related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and obtaining the body mass index (BMI) by means of self-reporting. With all the above we analyzed descriptive statistics (bivariate), frequencies, percentages, means, differences and correlations.

It was found that one third of the students presented severe levels of academic stress; of which, 10% at the same time carried out risky eating behaviors (see figures 1 and 2) where female participants showed higher levels of stress (See tables 2, 3). Five percent of the participants were underweight and 30% were overweight or obese (see Table 1). In addition, the contextual situations before the COVID-19 health crisis showed a significant relationship between the presence of academic stress and risky eating behaviors (see Table 3).

Figure 1. Stress levels

Figure 2. Eating behaviors

Table 1. BMI contrast by sex

Tabla 2. Correlaciones con base al sexo
Nota: Atracón= atracón-purga, Medidas= medidas compensatorias. Negritas se muestran correlaciones significativas. *p < 0.05, **p<0.0

A. Granillo UAEH student-author.
Important: Image radically modified for representative purposes.

Like several authors, it was found that the greater the presence of academic stress, the greater the presence of risky eating behaviors. This reaffirms the statement made by Claudia Unikel Santoncini, a researcher in Medical Sciences, that eating disorders are an increasingly frequent mental health problem among young people, particularly among women.

Ninety-six percent of the participants were "not at risk" and 4% were "at risk" (see Figure 3). According to sex, males showed no presence of these behaviors, while in females it was 4.8% (see Table 5). When analyzing risky eating behaviors according to age, it was found that students between 21 and 24 years of age were not at risk and that those between 19 and 20 years of age were (See Table 3). Based on the age of the participant, it was noted that the presence of underweight cases was located in the range of 19 and 20 years of age; overweight in all participating ages and obesity in people between 19 and 22 years of age (See Table 5).

In addition, significant differences were found in the level of academic stress according to sex, with women having higher levels. More specifically, young people aged 19 to 23 years were more vulnerable than those aged 24 years, since the latter had an adequate level of coping strategies (see Table 4). A decrease in the level of stress is noticeable as the semester increases, where 45.9% in the fourth semester reflected severe stress, 28.2% in the fifth semester and 25.9% in the sixth semester (See Table 3).

Among the 270 students who participated in the study, 40% faced high school problems and therefore reflected severe levels of stress (See Table 3). However, about 70% of the students presented problems related to COVID-19, i.e. presence of contagion-symptoms in people close to them or in the students themselves, with percentages ranging from low level of about 29%, moderate 53% and severe 18% (See Table 3).

Table 3. Sociodemographic characteristics, levels of AD and presence of CAR.
Frequency and percentages according to the normative scales of the inventory.

Table 4. Analysis of minima, maxima and means of the factors according to age.
Integration of and f-differences based on sex.
Note: P-binge = binge-purge, C-measures = compensatory measures. * Bold shows significant f-differences.

Finally, statistically significant correlations were shown between academic stress and risky eating behaviors, where the dimensions of stressors and symptoms were related to binge-purge, compensatory measures and restriction, which are dimensions within risky eating behaviors (See Table 5).

Thus, it can be deduced that the school problems that resulted or intensified during the pandemic context have influenced the increase and development of both academic stress and eating behaviors among students. Thus, we conclude that the contingency context, gender and age of the student may influence the development or maintenance of both academic stress and risky eating behaviors.

As an active member of the student population, I have seen, heard or witnessed each of the issues addressed here, from the classmate with losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, to the student who has thought about or suspended his or her studies as a result of the same situation, to the girl or boy who faces discriminatory thoughts about his or her physical appearance on a daily basis. Lack of knowledge, resources, and ongoing guidance from a teacher have diminished both the student's learning and quality of life. Mental health, an issue so crucial to an individual's optimal development, should not be minimized or ignored by educational and governmental authorities.

Tabla 5. Correlaciones significativas entre los factores del SISCO, CAR e IMC acorde al sexo y edad del participante.
Nota: Atracón= atracón-purga; Medidas= medidas compensatorias. Las negritas muestran correlaciones significativas. *p < 0.05, **p<0.01.