Abstract:
Background:
University students of the current generation face a plethora of stressors
including family, academics, finances and social. Research indicates that academic stressors can affect eating habits in various ways. Students tend to eat an unbalanced meal or have diets consisting of too much starch, sugar and fat. Unbalanced nutrition due to stress can contribute to the development of diseases and impact their cognitive abilities. The prevalence of obesity has been on a rise in Malaysia and the prevalence
of overweight and obesity had increased by 80 percent and 70 percent respectively in just under two decades.
Objective:
This study aims to determine the association of academic stressors and
eating behaviours among students in a private university in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Methodology:
A cross-sectional quantitative research study was conducted among 183 pre-university students. Students were emailed an online questionnaire after systematic random sampling. The academic stressors of the subjects were assessed using the Academic Stress Questionnaire comprising of four categories of stressors: personal, relating to other people, environmental and scholarly. The Three Eating
Factor Questionnaire Revised-18 Items was used to determine the eating behaviours of students which was categorised into: cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating and emotional eating.
Results:
The results of this study were significant as there is an evidence of association between academic stressors and eating habits. The increase in academic stressors increases Cognitive Restraint, Uncontrolled Eating, and Emotional Eating. The results of the Pearson Correlation test reveal the mean of academic stressor to be 3.48 and mean of eating behaviour to be 2.23. R- value and p- value are 0.455 and 0.000 respectively. There is a positive correlation and statistically significant difference between both variables.
Conclusion:
The findings of this study illustrate the need for university initiatives
focusing on academic stressors to combat unhealthy eating habits that hamper the wellbeing of students and may progress to disease. This may include revision of curriculum where there is shift away from exam assessments and more towards coursework. Other strategies could include support groups and awareness workshops.
Keywords:
Academic Stressors, Eating Behaviour, Students
