The Academic Diet: How Perceptions of Stressor Immediacy and Control of Academic Stress Affect Undergraduate Students’ Eating Behaviors

Abstract

College students are a particularly stressed population, often being cited as having the highest prevalence of mental illness, specifically related to stress and anxiety. This stress can lead to unhealthy eating habits, including both undereating and overeating practices. During the COVID-19 pandemic, student stress was further exacerbated. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between academic stress and eating behaviors in an undergraduate population. Participants were recruited from a US college and completed surveys on academic stress and eating behaviors. Perceptions of control and stressor immediacy were measured to identify mediating variables. Results indicated that participants experienced eating behavior changes, either increases or decreases in food intake, in response to stress. Perceptions of stress were not seen to have a significant effect on the relationship between stress and eating. This study is the first to look at college student stress and eating behaviors during COVID-19. The results have implications for how student stress is addressed in college and by psychologists.