Examination of Eating Patterns, Sleep Quality, and Anxiety among Normal-Weight and Overweight Female Students in Shiraz, Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Student Research Committee, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences,Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

2 Nutrition Research Center, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

10.30476/ijns.2025.101953.1311

Abstract

Background: Obesity has become a common health problem, and its prevalence has been increasing worldwide. The present study aimed to determine whether factors such as sleep quality, mental health status, and eating patterns are different between normal-weight and overweight/obese students in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Methods: In a case-control study, 33 overweight/obese and 101 normalweight students were enrolld that served as case and control groups, respectively. Anthropometric measurements, eating patterns, sleep quality, and psychological mood disorders were evaluated and compared to the control group.
Results: There were no significant differences between groups regarding sleep quality scores. Although students with a body mass index (BMI)>25 showed higher depression, anxiety, and stress scores, but these differences were not statistically significant between the groups. There was no significant difference in relation to physical activity between the two groups. Besides, dietary habits were almost similar in both groups, and there was no significant difference between normal-weight and overweight/obese females regarding dietary habits and meal patterns.
Conclusion: There was no significant difference in sleep quality, depression, anxiety, and stress scores among normal-weight and overweight female students. Moreover, physical activity level and dietary habits, including meal patterns, were comparably similar between the two groups. This indicates a lack of correlation between weight status and the psychological and behavioral variables examined in this population.

Highlights

Ladan Aghakhani (Google Scholar)

Marzieh Akbarzadeh (Google Scholar)

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