Self-perceived stress and dietary behaviours in University of Malta students

Abstract

Background: Examination periods are stressful periods among university students with evidence of negative effects on lifestyle behaviours. The study aimed to investigate current stress levels and self-reported changes in dietary and other lifestyle behaviours among University of Malta (UM) students during the examination period. Method: This cross-sectional study targeted UM students aged 18 years and above who completed an anonymised quantitative survey using convenience sampling. Data on food group consumption, changes in diet and other lifestyle behaviours, and perceived stress levels during the January 2024 examination period were collected. Ethical approval was granted by the UM Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee (FREC). Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 29 (IBM) software, employing Chi-square tests to evaluate any statistical significance between categorical variables. Results: 196 UM students returned the surveys. Respondents were predominantly female (79.1%) undergraduate students aged 18-25 years (80.6%), with annual incomes of less than €10,000 (74.5%) and living with family or friends (89.3%). The majority of respondents reported increased consumption of sugary snacks (73%) and salty snacks like crisps (54.6%). Notably, 40.3% also reported increased sugary drinks consumption (p values < 0.001). Additionally, 50% of respondents reported increased meal skipping (p < 0.001), and 51.5% reported decreased physical activity. 81.1% indicated that their sleep was adversely affected during exams, especially among females (p<0.05). The Perceived Stress Scale results revealed that 42.3% of students sometimes felt unable to control key aspects of their lives and another 29.1% felt this often (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The results indicate noteworthy negative changes in eating and other lifestyle behaviours during examination periods, highlighting the need for targeted health promotion interventions to support students’ wellbeing specifically during potential stressful periods.