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Mood and food at the University of Turku in Finland: nutritional correlates of perceived stress are most pronounced among overweight students

  • Original Article
  • Published:
International Journal of Public Health

Abstract

Objectives

We examined perceived stress and food intake at University of Turku, Finland.

Methods

This study was conducted as an online survey (1189 students). We computed two composite food intake pattern scores (sweets, cakes and snacks; fruits and vegetables), a dietary guideline adherence index, and the subjective importance of healthy eating. We assessed the correlations between perceived stress, and two food intake pattern scores, dietary guideline adherence index and subjective importance of healthy eating. We tested the associations between stress and the same variables, controlling for potential confounders for the whole sample, by gender, and by Body Mass Index (BMI).

Results

Fruits and vegetables intake and dietary guideline adherence were both negatively associated with stress. These negative associations were more pronounced in overweight and less pronounced in underweight compared to healthy weight students. Sweets, cookies and snacks consumption were not associated with stress. Stress was associated with lower subjective importance of healthy eating, independent of gender and BMI.

Conclusions

Perceived stress might have relationships of different magnitudes in overweight vs. normal BMI or underweight persons. BMI could be an effect modifier of the stress–food habits association.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the University, the Faculties and students who participated in this study. There was no external financial support/ funding for this study. The authors also acknowledge and thank the Student Management Office at the University of Turku for their assistance with the online survey and for their inputs in data collection. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Gloucestershire, Gloucester, GL2 9HW, UK

    Walid El Ansari

  2. Department of Public Health, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland

    Sakari Suominen

  3. Nordic School of Public Health, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Sakari Suominen

  4. Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland

    Sakari Suominen

  5. Unit for Health Promotion Research, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, 6700, Esbjerg, Denmark

    Gabriele Berg-Beckhoff

Authors
  1. Walid El Ansari
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  2. Sakari Suominen
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  3. Gabriele Berg-Beckhoff
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Correspondence to Walid El Ansari.

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El Ansari, W., Suominen, S. & Berg-Beckhoff, G. Mood and food at the University of Turku in Finland: nutritional correlates of perceived stress are most pronounced among overweight students. Int J Public Health 60, 707–716 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-015-0717-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-015-0717-4

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