Associação entre o transtorno de ansiedade generalizada e o consumo alimentar de estudantes universitários brasileiros

Abstract

Brazil faces significant challenges with a high prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder and increasing rates of overweight and obesity. Anxiety negatively impacts the quality of life of affected individuals. Given that university students are particularly susceptible to developing this disorder due to academic pressures and financial concerns, the present study aims to investigate the potential relationship between generalized anxiety disorder and eating habits in Brazilian university students. This is a cross-sectional study derived from a larger study approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Alagoas (protocol number: 4,410,403). University students from 94 Brazilian higher education institutions were invited to participate. The questionnaire was developed and distributed online to collect sociodemographic, economic, anthropometric, and mental health data. The Brazil Economic Classification Criteria was used to determine economic class. Dietary consumption markers were assessed using the dietary questionnaire block from the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System for children aged 2 and older, adolescents, adults, and the elderly. The presence of generalized anxiety disorder was assessed using the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale. A total of 5,946 participants were included, with an mean age of 24 ± 6 years, mostly female, and with normal BMI. The presence of generalized anxiety disorder was found in 42.3% of participants. It was observed that the group with the disorder had lower consumption of fresh fruits (PR: 0.94; 95% CI: [0.90 – 0.99]), vegetables (PR: 0.93; 95% CI: [0.90 – 0.97]), and beans (PR: 0.93; 95% CI: [0.89 – 0.97]). They also exhibited higher consumption of hamburgers and processed meats (PR: 1.20; 95% CI: [1.12 – 1.28]), sweetened beverages (PR: 1.13; 95% CI: [1.07 – 1.18]), instant noodles, packaged snacks, or savory biscuits (PR: 1.33; 95% CI: [1.20 – 1.47]), as well as filled biscuits, sweets, or candies (PR: 1.19; 95% CI: [1.12 – 1.27]). A positive association was also identified with the habit of eating in front of screens (PR: 1.10; 95% CI: [1.07 – 1.13]) and having supper (PR: 1.12; 95% CI: [1.03 – 1.23]). While a negative association was found with breakfast (PR: 0.94; 95% CI: [0.92 – 0.97]), lunch (PR: 0.99; 95% CI: [0.98 – 0.99]), and afternoon snack (PR: 0.92; 95% CI: [0.89 – 0.94]) consumption. In conclusion, generalized anxiety disorder is linked to unhealthy eating patterns. Thus, this study emphasizes the importance of developing interventions aimed at promoting mental health and healthier dietary choices among young adults.