CONSEQUENCES OF UNIVERSITY STUDENT’S INADEQUATE NUTRITION ON PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING DURING ADULTHOOD: A PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24193/subbbioethica.2019.04Keywords:
student, eating behavior, adulthood, nutrition, transition, public health, eating disorders.Abstract
A balanced diet is important for development and maintenance of physical and mental health throughout the life, especially during this period of study. Eating behavior undergoes changes in this transition from adolescence to young adulthood, changes that can have a significant impact on the development of diseases or eating disorders later in life. This paper aims to analyze the main social and psychological factors that influence students’ eating habits (such as: food taste, time, stress, physical activity, budget, accessibility to healthy foods, nutritional attitudes, social influences, female gender, coffee, alcohol and tobacco consumption, acculturative stress and religion), what nutritional risks these development stages entail, as well as the contribution of public health in the prevention and treatment of eating disorders. In conclusion, the transition to another environment is likely to change the eating behaviors that will be maintained in adulthood. Thus, we need prevent programs to fight against unhealthy eating habits among students, in order to head off an increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity later in life.
REZUMAT. Impactul nutriției deficitare în studenție asupra sănătății adultului – o problemă de sănătate publică. O alimentație echilibrată este importantă pentru dezvoltarea și menținerea unei sănătăți fizice și psihice pe tot parcursul vieții, cât mai ales în perioada studenției. Comportamentul alimentar suferă modificări în tranziția aceasta de la perioada de adolescență la vârsta adultă tânără, modificări ce pot avea un impact semnificativ asupra dezvoltării unor boli sau tulburări alimentare mai târziu în viață. Lucrarea de fată își propune să analizeze principalii factori sociali și psihologici ce influențează obiceiurile alimentare în rândul studenților (precum: gustul alimentelor, timpul, stresul, activitatea fizică, bugetul, accesibilitatea alimentelor sănătoase, atitudini nutriționale, influențele sociale, genul feminin, consumul de cafea, alcool, tutun, stresul aculturativ și religia), ce riscuri nutriționale presupun aceste etape de dezvoltare, precum și contribuția sănătății publice în prevenirea și tratamentul tulburărilor alimentare. În concluzie, tranziția într-un alt mediu de viață este de natură să modifice comportamentele alimentare ce se vor menține și la vârsta adultă. Astfel, sunt necesare programe de prevenție a luptei contra obiceiurilor alimentare nesănătoase în rândul studenților, cu scopul de a preîntâmpina o prevalență tot mai mare a excesului de greutate și a obezității mai târziu în viață.
Cuvinte cheie: student, comportament alimentar, vârsta adultă, nutriție, tranziție, sănătate publică, tulburări alimentare.
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