EATING BEHAVIOR, MENTAL HEALTH AND DEGREE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN MEDICAL STUDENTS

Medical students have an increased risk of developing psychological and eating disorders due to the academic stress and the degree of physical activity. The stress during the exam session affects eating attitudes, mental health and physical activity. The aim of the study was to analyse the eating behaviors, mental status and grades of physical activity before and during exam session in medical college students. We performed an analytical observational study in a population of 78 undergraduate 1st and 2nd year medical students (66 girls and 12 boys). Eating-related attitudes were studied using the EAT-26 questionnaire. Anxiety and depression scores were evaluated with GAD7 and PHQ-9 questionnaires. Physical activity was also assessed. All of the questionnaires were given before and during the exam session. The scores of EAT 26 questionnaire reflect a normal reporting of dieting attitudes, regardless of the time of evaluation. Regarding assessment of anxiety (GAD7) and depression (PHQ-9), an increase in the number of cases of severe anxiety and depression during the exams session was shown. In addition, the physical activity index dropped significantly during the exam period. The academic and psychological stress during the exam session affected the mental status of the medical students causing an increase in the anxiety and depressions scores. Also, the physical activity diminished, emphasizing their psychological state. No significant changes in eating behavior were observed. (c) 2017 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy.org.UK