Assessment of physical activity habits and dietary behaviors with stress levels among young adults during the post covid-19 pandemic

• Main Author: Teh, Geik Qi
• Format: Final Year Project / Dissertation / Thesis
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform; Q Science (General)
• Online Access: http://eprints.utar.edu.my/5625/1/fyp_2023_DT_TGQ.pdf; http://eprints.utar.edu.my/5625/

High levels of stress disrupt the homeostasis of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary Adrenal axis, which can alter the physical activity habits and dietary behaviors of an individual. The prevalence of stress has been increasing among young adults from pre- to during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the transition from a virtual to a physical study and working environment has also contributed to stress. Thus, this study aims to determine the relationship between stress levels, physical activity habits, and dietary behaviors of young adults during the post COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 193 respondents participated in this study. An online questionnaire consisted of three sections: sociodemographic information, physical activity habits and dietary intake, and the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) were used. Data were collected using a convenience sampling method. Statistical analysis included descriptive analysis, Chi-square tests, and independent t-tests. The prevalence of high stress among young adults was 46%. Chi-square tests revealed no associations (p > 0.05) between stress levels with gender, age, ethnicity, monthly household income, marital status, number of children, and BMI status. However, there was a significant association between stress levels and dietary restraint, with 61.1% of respondents who were currently dieting perceiving high-stress levels (p < 0.05). Respondents with high perceived stress had a higher frequency of stress eating (p < 0.01), skipping breakfast (p < 0.05), skipping lunch (p < 0.01), skipping dinner (p < 0.01), and overeating (p < 0.01) compared to those in the low-stress group. However, there were no significant differences (p > 0.05) between the low-stress group and high-stress group in terms of exercise frequency and duration, alcohol consumption, dietary supplement intake, eating out, and consumption of wheat, dairy products, fast food, confectionery, fruits, nuts, and ready-prepared meals. Young adults with high stress had a higher frequency of skipping the three main meals and overeating. Under high-stress conditions, young adults tend to choose to eat to relieve stress. Therefore, it is vital to promote and implement interventions that focus on the importance of the three main meals and nutrition-stress management for high-stress young adults