Eating Behaviors, Depressive Symptoms and Lifestyle in University Students in Poland

Abstract

Young adulthood is the period from the late teens through the twenties and is associated with life transitions that could contribute to the development of obesity. Targeting this group will be critical to reversing the obesity epidemic. The aim of the study was to investigate the eating behaviors and lifestyle of healthcare students in Poland. We enrolled 227 students in the study. Convenience sampling was employed. Diet (Food Frequency Questionnaire), physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire), depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory), impulsivity (Barratt Impulsivity Scale), and eating behaviors (Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire) were assessed. One in three students exhibited depressive symptoms, one in four showed low levels of physical activity. More than 40% of the students did not consume vegetables at least once a day, and more than half did not consume fruit. Only approximately 50% of the students ate fish several times a month. There was an association between high scores of specific eating behaviors and body weight, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, and consumption of specific product groups (sweets, alcohol). The results of our study are expected to contribute to a better understanding of dietary habits and overweight/obesity in university students, and support the development of programs to promote healthy lifestyles in that population.

Food Literacy Scale: Validation through Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis in a Sample of Portuguese University Students

“…For example, it can be extended to participants in other countries, as long as they are also higher education students, given they particularities differentiating from other target groups, like general young adults. Many studies confirmed the singularities of the higher education students in what concerns food literacy and eating behaviors in different countries: Bangladesh [ 67 ], Belgium [ 68 ], China [ 69 ], Croatia [ 70 ], Egypt [ 70 ], Greece [ 70 ], Hungary [ 71 ], Italy [ 70 ], Jordan [ 72 ], Korea [ 73 ], Poland [ 74 ], Portugal [ 70 , 75 ], Serbia, [ 76 ], Slovenia [ 70 ], Spain [ 56 , 77 ], Syria [ 78 ], and the United States [ 79 ].…”

How do students cope with stress during remote learning due to COVID-19 pandemic? Biological and psychological factors-protocol of the study

“…Despite the studies of the correlation between exposure to stress and biological substances in saliva, there is still a deficit of information about the interaction of biological markers with the presence of stress and depression. According to the results of the Polish study from 2022, every third student had depressive symptoms [23]. The high risk of mood disorders in this population is the result of many factors: more responsibilities, a new environment, a large amount of learning, exams, and lifestyle changes caused by self-empowerment [23].…”

“…According to the results of the Polish study from 2022, every third student had depressive symptoms [23]. The high risk of mood disorders in this population is the result of many factors: more responsibilities, a new environment, a large amount of learning, exams, and lifestyle changes caused by self-empowerment [23].…”

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“…Personal lifestyle and dietary behaviors among medical students have already been studied in some countries to date. It has been shown that students often do not conform to national dietary guideline recommendations [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. It has been demonstrated that a course on preventive medicine and nutritional medicine can lead to improvements in individual dietary habits [ 12 , 21 ].…”