What is it about?
Stress is a common response to challenges, especially when people feel overwhelmed. For medical students, the demanding curriculum can lead to high stress levels, negatively affecting their eating habits and academic performance. In a study conducted among medical students at private universities in the UAE, researchers aimed to understand how stress related to academics and teaching impacts students' eating patterns. The study involved MBBS and BDS students aged 18 and above, using a standardized questionnaire called the Medical Student Stressor Questionnaire to gather data. The data was then analyzed using SPSS software. The study found two main sources of stress: Academic Related Stressors (ARS) and Teaching and Learning Related Stressors (TLRS). These stressors caused students to either eat more or less than usual. Specifically, 82.6% of students who ate less than usual reported high or severe stress due to difficult academic tasks (P=0.007). On the other hand, 81.5% of students who ate more than usual did so because they felt nervous and stressed (P=0.004). Additionally, when students faced multiple challenges at once or lacked confidence due to teaching-related stress, 71.7% and 66.3% respectively experienced mild to moderate stress and ate less than usual (P<0.05). In simple terms, the study shows that high stress levels from academic and teaching challenges significantly affect medical students' eating habits. Most students tend to eat less when overwhelmed by difficult tasks or lack confidence, while others eat more when feeling nervous and stressed.
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Why is it important?
A study of this magnitude in this field has not been conducted in the UAE before. With the increasing medical student population, it is pertinent to see how stress affects the students, and what kind of stressors have the most detrimental impact.
Perspectives
Conducting this research with my co-authors - everything from collecting data to finalizing the manuscript has been a phenomenal experience. Stress and its effects on behavior and health is a growing concern. We hope this article will lead to improved interventions and strategies to reduce stress and encourage healthy lifestyle habits.
Kinzaa Batool Khanum
Gulf Medical University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Effect of Academic-related and Teaching and Learning-Related Stressors on
Eating Habits among Medical Students: A Cross-sectional Study, New Emirates Medical Journal, January 2024, Bentham Science Publishers,
DOI: 10.2174/0102506882278336231205161449.
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