Stress, coping strategies and unhealthy food consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic in college students

Abstract

College students often have an unhealthy diet due to exposure to, among other factors, stressful situations that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Different strategies can be used to cope with stress; however, it is unknown whether university students have used such strategies and/or changed their dietary habits as a mechanism to manage stress during the pandemic. This study assessed whether the stress generated during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted college students’ eating habits and coping strategies to deal with stress. The sample was non-probabilistic and was composed of 236 university students from two Chilean university institutions. An online survey was administered that assessed unhealthy food consumption, stress, coping strategies, and sociodemographic information. Data were analyzed using negative binomial regression. The analysis revealed an increase in the consumption of unhealthy foods, especially in students with high levels of stress. The strategies used were grouped into ‘emotional avoidance’ and ‘keeping busy’. It was evident that younger students preferred emotional avoidance strategies and there was a strong association between ‘keeping busy’ strategies with lower consumption of unhealthy foods. These results support the development of stress management strategies to avoid excessive consumption of unhealthy foods during stressful periods such as the COVID-19 pandemic.