Στρες και κατάσταση θρέψης σε γυναίκες 18 - 30 ετών (Bachelor thesis)
Θώμος, Ιάσων
This paper is part of the scientific discussion on nutritional status and whether it is related
to stress in young people aged 18-30. We are living in an age where life rates are rising, jobs are not
easy to find, and many young people are either unemployed or working in seasonal jobs or becoming
economic migrants with goal their daily survival. This state, coupled with the growing use of social
media and the role they are beginning to take in society, can help to increase stress for young people
who want to pursue a certain quality of life and show the image they want to project. Such stressful
situations can have a negative impact on both the overall quality of life and the nutrition status of the
individual. So the question we ask is how much do the nutrition status and therefore the BMI are
related with stress and which of the everyday factors like work, smoking or training can affect these
variables.
Our sample was 321 female participants 18-30 years old from all over Greece. We used two
different questionnaires. First we used the Perceived Stress Scale – PSS which is a classic stress
assessment instrument. The tool was developed in 1983 by Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., and
Mermelstein. It is a popular choice for helping us understand how different situations affect our
feelings and our perceived stress. Secondly, we used the Council of Nutrition appetite questionnaire
(CNAQ). It is a simple appetite questionnaire which predicts weight loss in community-dwelling
adults and nursing home residents. After a research published in 2005 by Margaret-Mary G Wilson,
David R Thomas and their colleagues this questionnaire is a very reliable tool to predict serious
weight loss in any adult regardless the age.
The results showed that the majority of women (89.7%) had medium or high levels of
stress. Also, in terms of nutritional status, 79.1% of them tend to lose 5% of their weight over the
next 6 months. In the correlation of BMI with stress, it appeared that there was a connection between
these two variables. It has been observed that at high levels of stress both obese and underweight
women have increased rates. There was a connection also between the two variables on the
association of the likelihood of weight loss with smoking. Women who smoke seem to be less likely
to undergo a change in their weight than non-smokers.
The important conclusions were: First, the interconnectedness between the BMI and stress.
Abnormal BMI levels have been observed to be associated with high levels of stress and vice versa.
Therefore, stress acts as a factor affecting the nutritional behavior of young women to the extent that
it can bring changes in their BMI, leading either to overeating or to hypophagia Secondly, we also
conclude that for young women who are outside the normal BMI range, it is more difficult to lose or
gain weight if they smoke. Finally, 79.1% of the sample had bad nutrition state and tends to lose a
significant proportion of its weight. Based on this data and the first conclusion, it seems that while
stress is associated with obesity, in the case of young women there is a significant increase in
hypophagia during stressful periods, although the majority of the sample (80.3%) are classified as
being normal or underweight.
Institution and School/Department of submitter: | Σχολή Επιστημών Υγείας / Τμήμα Επιστημών Διατροφής και Διαιτολογίας |
Subject classification: | Διατροφικές διαταραχές στις γυναίκες Eating disorders in women Άγχος (Ψυχολογία) Stress (Psychology) Γυναίκες -- Ψυχική υγεία Women -- Mental health Γυναίκες -- Διατροφή Women -- Nutrition Διατροφικές συνήθειες Food habits |
Keywords: | κατάσταση θρέψης;nutritional status;διατροφή;nutrition;άγχος;anxiety;σώμα;body |
Description: | Πτυχιακή εργασία - Σχολή Επιστημών Υγείας - Τμήμα Επιστημών Διατροφής και Διαιτολογίας, 2019 (α/α 11324) |
URI: | http://195.251.240.227/jspui/handle/123456789/14755 |
Appears in Collections: | Πτυχιακές Εργασίες |
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Thomos.pdf | 742.72 kB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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