scholarly journals Evaluation of the stress and eating behaviors of medical students after university entrance exam

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
SA Kara ◽  
M T Demir ◽  
M Sengelen

Abstract   Emotions are important on eating behaviours but the direction of the effect is unknown. The aim of this study is to evaluate eating behaviours and some related factors of first grade medical students after the university entrance exam. This study was performed in a medical faculty from Ankara, Turkey in October 2019. Researchers used a questionnaire comprising of 56 questions; 23 questions about students' sociodemographical characteristics and 33-item Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ). DEBQ is a self-report questionnaire and Turkish validity and reliability was tested in 2011. Written permission from Faculty Executive Committee was obtained prior to the study and informed consent were obtained from the participants. The significance level was taken as p < 0.05. SPSS 25.0 package program was used in data analysis. Three hundred and ninety one students (80.6%) out of a total of 485 participated in the study. Of all 319 students participating in this study, the mean age was 18.53±0.71 and 52.4% were men (n = 205). Forty point two percent of the students claimed that their eating habits were healthless, while 33.8% of the students stated that they ate more when they were stressed and 50.9% of the students stated that their body weight was increased during their university entrance exam period. Mean DEBQ total points were higher in women and in students who stated that their body weight was increased during their university entrance exam period than the others (student t test, p < 0,001; ANOVA test, p < 0,001, respectively). Multiple Linear regression analysis pointed out that being women increased DEBQ total point by 9,091 point (p < 0,001, 95% CI: 5,595-12,587). This study demonstrated that nutrition and eating habits are critical issues for young people's life and their future. Therefore many students need more help and guidance about stress management and healthy eating habits especially when they are preparing for important exams and also right after the exams. Key messages This study demonstrated that nutrition and eating habits are critical issues for young people’s life and their future. Many students need more help and guidance about stress management and healthy eating habits especially when they are preparing for important exams and also right after the exams.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gozde Aydin ◽  
Claire Margerison ◽  
Anthony Worsley ◽  
Alison Booth

Abstract Background Primary schools have long been identified as appropriate settings for improving the healthy eating behaviours of children and helping them develop food skills. This qualitative study explored the views of Australian primary school parents and teachers about schools’ strengths and weaknesses in promoting healthy eating and equipping children with food skills. Methods Nineteen parents and 17 teachers from Victoria participated in semi-structured interviews. Audio recordings were transcribed and underwent thematic analysis using Nvivo. Results This study demonstrated that parents and teachers believed that several facilitators helped promote children’s healthy eating. These included food and nutrition education (FNE) programs, the community-based nature of schools, and teacher role modelling and the authority schools possess over children. Time scarcity, lack of teacher expertise, lack of leadership and funding were reported as barriers. School food environments such as canteens, lunch orders, fundraising events and school fairs were identified as both weaknesses and strengths by parents and teachers, which indicated inconsistent implementation of school nutrition policies across schools. Conclusions Australian primary schools demonstrate some useful efforts to promote healthy eating among children. However, there are numerous facilitators and barriers which impact on the promotion of healthy eating. These factors need to be addressed in order to develop healthy eating habits further among elementary students. These results provide directions for policymakers and school managers, as they point to the areas that need to be improved to assist the design of schools that better promote healthy eating among children.


2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 126-135
Author(s):  
Talita Cardoso Rossi ◽  
Vânia Hercilia Talarico Bruno ◽  
Fernanda Martin Catarucci ◽  
Ivan da Silva Beteto ◽  
Pedro Henrique Leonetti Habimorad ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Although nutrition is one of the most significant aspects of good health and well-being, preventing many diseases and reducing premature death and disability, most medical curricula still do not cover this topic in depth, devoting only a few hours to it. This leaves an important gap in the training of medical professionals, in a context of an increase in chronic diseases, where healthy eating is essential, not only for prevention but also to guarantee treatment success. The present study interviewed medical students from the first to the sixth years of graduation, in order to understand what they consider to be a healthy diet and whether they consider themselves capable of guiding their future patients in the adoption and practice healthy eating habits. This is a qualitative study in which semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 undergraduate medical students of a public university in the state of São Paulo. The data were analyzed using the technique of Content Analysis, with a thematic representational approach. Two major themes emerged, showing possible gaps in the students’ knowledge about nutrition and the difficulty they have in helping their patients switch to healthier eating habits, given that they themselves have difficulty doing the same. There is a need for medical schools to promote students’ health, both physical and mental, in response to the high demands of the courses. This may include health promotion activities aimed at the students themselves, encouraging them to adopt healthier lifestyles, especially healthier eating habits, so that they can share their own experiences with future patients. This may benefit their professional practice, giving them greater confidence when giving nutrition guidance to their patients, as they will have already experienced and applied the principles in their own lives. Patient-centered care can be a way to address this system and help patients effectively switch to healthier habits, thereby reducing suffering and improving quality of life. Empowerment through activities that receive and support the student and the patient is an essential tool for behavioral change.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Goreti Botelho ◽  
Emília Rodrigues ◽  
Rita Matos ◽  
Jorge Lameiras

Purpose There is a relationship between eating behaviours and the development of speech-language competences during childhood. This study aims to evaluate the impact of interdisciplinary sessions on food and speech-language education with children’s parents. Design/methodology/approach The session was focused on healthy eating habits and behaviours that may improve or impair child speech competence. Using a self-administered questionnaire, before and immediately after the session, parents from 11 preschools, answered 12 questions, on a five-point Likert scale. Questionnaires from the final sample (n = 96) were statistically analysed using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test. Findings Statistical analysis revealed statistically significant differences in answers to six questions between pre and post intervention: items 1 (Z = −5.04; p < 0.001), 2 (Z = −3.68; p < 0.001), 3 (Z = −4.12; p < 0.001), 4 (Z = −5.87; p < 0.001), 9 (Z = −2.73; p = 0.006) and 12 (Z = −2.00; p = 0.046). The questionnaire responses after the session showed that parents became more aware of the relationship between the two areas addressed. In addition, the subjects presented more assertiveness in their answers after the educational intervention of the nutritionist and the speech therapist. Practical implications The study showed the importance of associating topics on food and speech-language education and both being addressed simultaneously to parents. The empowerment of parents and other caregivers about feeding and speech-language development may increase their motivation to foster child healthy eating behaviours. It is also desirable to extend this kind of interdisciplinary intervention to other preschools. Originality/value This study fulfils an identified need to study the perceived knowledge of parents about the food-related behaviours influencing speech-language competences of children.


Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleni Spyreli ◽  
Michelle McKinley ◽  
Virginia Allen-Walker ◽  
Louise Tully ◽  
Jayne Woodside ◽  
...  

Background: Weaning marks the transition from a milk-only diet to the consumption of solid foods. It is a time period where nutrition holds an undeniable importance and taste experiences have a long-lasting effect on food preferences. The factors and conditions that form parental feeding practices are yet to be fully understood; doing so can help target problematic behaviours and develop interventions aiming to modify them. Objective: This study used a qualitative methodology to gain a better understanding of parental experiences of weaning a child. Particular emphasis was placed on exploring the factors and conditions that favour the establishment of a healthy relationship with food in infancy and those that impede it. Methods: Thirty-seven mothers of healthy infants 3–14 months with no previous history of allergies or food-related disorders were recruited. Eight semi-structured focus group discussions were conducted, transcribed and analysed thematically. Results: Discussions revealed a number of opportunities to establish healthy eating habits during weaning, as well as relevant challenges. Important opportunities included: acting as a role model for healthy foods; giving multiple opportunities to try a food; food variety “so you don’t have a fussy eater”; and without food variety “things aren’t going to work properly”. Additionally, some of the challenges identified were: misconceptions about the definition of food variety; and distractions occurring during feeding. Conclusions: Mothers were mindful of the need to provide their children with appropriate nutritional stimuli during weaning. They were aware of their role in influencing their infants’ likes and used strategies such as modelling and repeated food exposure. The importance of a diverse diet in infancy was acknowledged, although knowledge gaps exist in relation to its definition. Distractions were tactfully employed by mothers to assist feeding. Findings of this study have applications in developing interventions for nutritional education in the complementary feeding period.


2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Drummond

Schools are in the unique position of being able to influence students’ eating behaviours in a beneficial manner. Positive peer and teacher modelling can encourage students to try foods they exhibited distaste for previously. Pilot research has shown that when nutrition and cooking sessions are conducted in primary schools, foods refused or untried at home during meal times, such as vegetables, were asked for following the school cooking classes using that same food. In this paper I will discuss how nutrition workshops and cooking classes in primary schools can influence healthy eating habits among schoolaged children. The research indicated that there was a transfer of knowledge around healthy nutrition from a school environment to a home environment through students as agents of change.


Author(s):  
Winnie Wing Man Ng ◽  
Anthony Siu Wo Wong ◽  
Kin Cheung

This cluster randomized controlled trial (CRCT)-designed study aimed to explore the feasibility of a promotion pamphlet and/or WhatsApp as a suitable mode of delivery to promote healthy eating habits with fruit and vegetables (F&V) among firefighters. Convenience and snowball sampling methods were used. Forty-five firefighters from 23 fire stations were recruited and they all received the printed pamphlet, while the intervention group participants (n = 20) received additional teaching material through WhatsApp every two weeks for eight weeks. Feasibility outcomes included retention, practicality, and implementation. The participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the intervention. There were significant improvements in the mean numbers of days consuming F&V (p = 0.002; p = 0.031) in the intervention group, and for fruit consumption (p = 0.033) in the control group between the baseline (T0) and 3 months after completion of intervention (T1). High levels of participants’ satisfaction with the intervention revealed that a full-scale CRCT of the WhatsApp-delivered intervention promoting healthy eating could be feasible, especially as a means of increasing the numbers of days they consumed F&V and the numbers of servings of these consumed per day.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leticia Elizondo-Montemayor ◽  
Diana Moreno-Sànchez ◽  
Norma G. Gutierrez ◽  
Fabiola Monsivais-Rodriguez ◽  
Ubaldo Martinez ◽  
...  

Hispanic children and those from low-socioeconomic status are predisposed to unhealthy eating habits and obesity.Aim. to implement an individualized, face-to-face, parent supported, and school-partnership dietetic intervention to promote healthy eating habits and decrease body mass index. Prospective school year dietetic intervention of 101 obese, Hispanic, low-socioeconomic school-age children representative of Monterrey, Mexico, consisted of anthropometrics, dietetic assessment, energy-restriction tailor-made daily menus, and parental education every three weeks. Student’st-test was used for means comparison. A significant decrease was found in body mass index percentile(96.43±3.32to93.42±8.12/P=0.00)and energy intake/day of −755.7 kcal/day(P=0.00). Among other energy dense foods with significant decline in servings/day and servings/week were processed meats(3.13 ± 1.43to2.19 ± 1.04/P=0.00and5.60 ± 1.75to4.37 ± 2.10/P=0.00, resp.), saturated fat(1.47 ± 1.08to0.78 ± 0.79/P=0.00and2.19±2.18to1.1±1.36/P=0.00), sweetened beverages(2.79±1.99to1.42±1.21and6.21±1.72to3.89±2.80/P=0.00), and desserts and refined-grain bakery(1.99±1.54to1.32±1.59and2.85 ± 2.54to1.57 ± 2.20/P=0.00). There was a significant increase in servings/day and servings/week of water(2.98 ± 2.02to4.91 ± 2.37and6.62 ± 2.03to6.87 ± 0.91/P=0.00, resp.) and nutrient dense foods such as fruits(1.31 ± 0.89to1.66 ± 0.96and3.34 ± 2.24to4.28 ± 2.43/P=0.00)and fish and poultry(3.76 ± 2.15to4.54 ± 2.25/P=0.00). This intervention created healthy eating habits and decreased body mass index in a high risk population. Trial registration number:NCT01925976.


2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (12) ◽  
pp. 2267-2273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hélida Ventura Barbosa Gonçalves ◽  
Diogo Thimoteo da Cunha ◽  
Elke Stedefeldt ◽  
Veridiana Vera de Rosso

The aim of this study was to characterize the process of buying Family Farming (FF) food for the Brazilian School Feeding Program (BSFP) and compare the quality of menus served to the schoolchildren before and after the implementation of Law n. 11,947/09. This is an observational cross-sectional study developed with application of semi-structured questionnaire and evaluating menus. Eighty-two cities from São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil participated of the study. Of these cities reported, 74.1% performed the purchase of products of FF for BSFP. The lack of interest of farmers and the deficient hygienic and sanitary conditions were the main difficulties reported. The quality of the menus offered to the schoolchildren improved significantly after the implementation of FF purchases. The partnership between FF and BSFP can contribute greatly to the development of healthy eating habits, not only by offering better nutritional quality menus, but also by implementing of nutritional education activities guided by the sustainable production and consumption of food.


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