Comer transtornado e fatores associados em universitários durante a primeira onda da pandemia da COVID-19

Abstract

The beginning of the university academic journey can be a great stressor for young people, and is associated with a higher incidence of disordered eating. Several factors contribute to these changes in eating behavior, and in the current scenario, the COVID-19 pandemic stands out. The objective of this work was to evaluate disordered eating and its associated factors in university students at the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. All students enrolled in face-to-face courses at UFES were invited. Data collection was carried out between May and June 2020, through a semi-structured online questionnaire with self-reported information. Disordered eating was assessed using a validated questionnaire (Disordered Eating Attitude Scale - short), where higher scores represent more dysfunctional eating attitudes. The scores for each question were added up, and based on the median obtained, the participants were distributed between: “Below the median” or “Equal to or greater than the median”. Body perception and satisfaction were assessed using the Silhouette Scale validated for digital use. For statistical analysis, SPSS® version 22.0 software was used, with a significance level of 5%. A total of 936 university students agreed to participate in the research, most of them female (n = 667; 71.3%). The results showed that having flulike symptoms (OR = 1.605; CI = 1.144-2.252; P = 0.006) and negative changes in mood (OR = 1.628; CI = 1.110-2.387; P = 0.013) increased the chances of a greater score on the disordered eating scale. In addition, weight gain also significantly increased these odds (OR = 1.739; CI = 1.298-2.329; P < 0.001), even being three times higher in those with obesity (OR = 3.089; CI = 1.899-5.024; P < 0.001) compared to eutrophic individuals. Following a fitness/health profile on social media doubled the odds of scoring at or above the median on the disordered eating scale (OR = 2.050; CI = 1.505-2.793; P < 0.001), an association also observed with inadequate body perception (OR = 2.416; CI = 1.576-3.705; P < 0.001) and body dissatisfaction (OR = 2.612; CI = 1.558-4.378; P< 0.001). Therefore, variables related to the pandemic, nutritional and behavioral status were associated with a higher score on the disordered eating scale. These results can contribute to the establishment of measures with the objective of mitigating the unfavorable effects of the pandemic on the eating behavior of this population.