Disordered Eating Attitudes, Demographics, and Snack Patterns in Overweight and Obese US College Students

Abstract

Abstract Objectives An unhealthy snack pattern may impact a person's overall health and quality of life. College students are at risk for disordered eating attitudes (DEA) due the elevated mental and physical demands of higher education. This could lead to a greater snack intake that could replace meals. DEA could also be influenced by demographics. Our objective was to evaluate the association between DEA, snack patterns, stress level, and demographics. Methods We analyzed the baseline data from the Snackability Trial, a trial among overweight and obese students from US colleges to test the effects of using the Snackability app to choose healthier snacks compared to controls (no access to the app). Students are being recruited using flyers sent via email by college professors/staff and social media since June 2020. Participants completed questionnaires at baseline (before randomization) on demographics (age, gender, race, ethnicity, income), snack eating patterns, stress level (scale from 1–10 with 10 being the most stressed), and DEA Score (a validated score assessing eating attitudes with 25 questions related to perceptions of food; higher DEA scores indicate higher DEA with the minimum possible score of 37 and maximum of 190). Descriptive statistics included frequency and mean/standard deviation of all variables. ANOVA and Pearson Correlations were used to evaluate the associations between variables. Results A total of 135 have completed thus far all baseline questionnaires. The average age was 21.5 ± 2.01 years, most students were female (83.7%), Hispanic/Latino (52.6%), and with a household income of <$50,000 (60.0%). Average DEAS was 90.4 ± 19.1, daily snack intake was 2.33 ± 1.08, and stress score was 6.78 ± 1.97. DEAS score was not associated with demographic variables or snack intake, but there was a significant correlation between DEAS and stress level (r = 0.3; P < 0.001). Conclusions Students who have a higher level of stress are more likely to have DEA. Disordered eating is an umbrella of irregular eating behaviors that may or may not warrant a diagnosis of a specific eating disorder. Based on these findings, universities may need to develop interventions for college students to manage stress as well as promoting awareness and programs for students with high levels of disordered eating. Funding Sources Internal funds from Florida International University.