Autoeficácia na adoção de práticas alimentares saudáveis entre universitários : associação com sintomas de ansiedade, depressão e estresse

Abstract

Self-efficacy, which corresponds to how much people trust their ability to plan and change unhealthy habits, as well as maintain new behaviors when faced with challenging situations, seems to play an important role in the adoption of healthy eating practices and is also the central factor in encouraging people to adopt appropriate behaviors. Mental disorders, common among university students, are significant stimulators of inadequate eating practices. Thus, self- efficacy for adopting healthy eating practices can be considered a potential mediator in the relationship between mental disorders and eating practices. This study aimed to analyze the association between self-efficacy in adopting healthy eating practices and the occurrence of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among university students at Federal Institutions of Higher Education in Minas Gerais. This is a cross-sectional study from a multicenter survey, called "Symptoms of anxiety and depression disorder among university students in Minas Gerais: a multicenter study (Anxiety and Depression in University Students Project, PADu-multicenter)." Data collection was carried out between October 2021 and February 2022 through a virtual questionnaire on the Google Forms® platform. The investigated variables were demographic, economic, and academic characteristics (gender; age; income; marital status; skin color; field of study), food self-efficacy, and mental disorders. The reduced version of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale was used to analyze mental disorder symptoms, while self-efficacy was analyzed using a Self-Efficacy Scale for Adopting Healthy Eating Practices. All undergraduate students enrolled in eight Federal Institutions of Higher Education in Minas Gerais were invited to participate in the study. The sample consisted of 8,650 university students, with a median age of 22 years (20;25), of whom 65.7% were women. The predominant skin color among the surveyed university students was white (56.2%) and 91.7% were single. Regarding the field of study, 39.2%, 22.3%, and 38.6% were enrolled in courses in the exact, biological, and human sciences, respectively. In terms of food self-efficacy, half of the students showed high levels (50%) and the other half showed low levels (50%). Most students reported symptoms of depression (73.2%; n= 6,330), stress (68.1%; n= 5,889), and anxiety (66.1%; n= 5,717). This research identified an inverse association between food self- efficacy and mental health. As students exhibited milder symptoms of mental disorders, the chances of having better food self-efficacy scores increased, suggesting that mental disorders affect university students' confidence and security in adopting healthy eating practices. The results highlight the need for public policies that ensure and secure the health and well-being of this population by strengthening self-efficacy and supporting the mental health of university students.