The Effect of Stress and Social Media Use on the Eating Behavior in University Students

Aim: It is possible to be phisicially and mentally healthy and maintain health at every stage of life with adequate and balanced nutrition. Stress, social media, family and peer influence are also factors affecting the nutrition attitude. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of stress and social media usage on eating behaviors in university students. Methods: Retrospective-descriptive study data were collected by using the interview form consisted of four parts. Those four parts were “general informations” for demographic informations, “Eating Attitudes Test” for eating attitudes diagnosis, “Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale” for diagnosis of psychological disorders and “Social Media Use”. Results: A total of 422 people, 329 women and 93 men participated in the survey conducted at the Faculty of Health Sciences of Trakya University. There was a statistically significant difference between stress degree and eating behavior disorder and it was determined that the increase in stress severity caused abnormal eating behavior. There was a statistically significant difference between the time allocated to social media and eating behavior disorder, and it was determined that increased time allocated to social media caused eating behavior disorder. Conclusion: In our study, it was determined that stress and social media use had significant negative effects on students' eating behaviors. Keywords: students, stress, social media, feeding behavior