Food compulsion and nutritional status of university students in Blumenau-SC

Abstract

The academic period can be a troubled phase in the students' lives and can lead them to manage their emotions in non-adaptive ways, such as through binge eating - turning food into an escape valve. The present study aims to assess the prevalence of binge eating and its relationship with nutritional status in different areas of training in university students in Blumenau-SC. It is cross-sectional research, of a descriptive character and of quantitative analysis, with academics of both sexes, enrolled in the courses of the seven science centers of FURB. To evaluate binge eating, the Periodic Eating Compulsion Scale (ECAP) was used - a self-administered questionnaire and for checking nutritional status, self-reported weight and height were requested for later BMI calculation. 366 university students participated in the research, of which 77.3% were female and 22.7% male. The evaluation by ECAP identified 77.9% respondents without periodic binge eating: 15% respondents with moderate periodic binge eating and 7.1% responders with severe binge eating. In the nutritional profile, there was a prevalence of adequate weight for height, with 62.8% of the students. In relation to training areas, the Center for Educational Sciences, Arts and Letters (CCEAL) obtained a higher percentage (32.3%) of binge eating according to ECAP. There is no prevalence of binge eating in the target audience studied and the nutritional status that predominates is the appropriate weight, however there was an increase in the mean BMI of students with periodic eating compulsion. Still, the female sex was the audience most affected by this eating disorder, evidencing other research carried out in the same area.