Abstract
The prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing in our society, with a complex, multifactorial origin, and associated with greater morbidity and mortality in the population. Food addiction (FA) is a common disorder in overweight/obese people, which appears to be increasingly common in young people. This study analyzed food addiction in a group of young university students and to examine its association with body composition, quality of sleep, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, physical activity/sedentary habits, tobacco or alcohol consumption, and health status. A total of 536 undergraduate nursing students participated in a questionnaire that included the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS 2.0). Up to 6.4% of the students presented FA. Statistically significant associations were observed in the variables for sleep quality odds ratio (OR) 4.8 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.66–13.87), anxiety/depression OR 8.71 (95% CI: 3.93–19.27), body mass index (BMI) OR 8.32 (95% CI: 3.81–18.15) and sedentary lifestyle OR 2.33 (95% CI: 1.09–5.01). A predictive model was developed after binary logistic regression (area under the ROC curve 0.84 (95% CI: 0.77–0.91). Students with FA presented higher BMI values, worse sleep quality, anxiety or depression problems, and more time spent in sedentary behaviors.
Highlights
Associations were found with sleep quality, Body mass index (BMI), anxiety/depression, and sedentary lifestyle
The aim of the study was to identify which lifestyle factors of nursing students were related to food addiction
Our results found no association with smoking or alcohol consumption and no association with physical activity or Mediterranean diet
Summary
Over the last 50 years, the prevalence of overweightness and obesity worldwide has increased considerably, with dietary changes and sedentary lifestyles being considered some of the main underlying causes of this pandemic [1]. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines overweightness and obesity as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. The WHO global has estimated that globally 39% of adults (people aged 18 years and over) were overweight and around 13% of the world’s adult population are obese. The prevalence of obesity is increasing in most European countries, with a projected prevalence of obesity of between 13% and 43% by 2025 [2]; with 33 of the 53 countries projected to have an obesity prevalence of 20% or more. Ireland and Italy are predicted to have the highest (43%) and the lowest (13%) prevalence, respectively
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
