Aim: to analyze the levels of stress and their association with the eating behavior of undergraduate nursing students from a public university. Method: this is a cross-sectional and observational study using a quantitative approach. The study will be developed in the Nursing Department of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. An identification form for sociodemographic recognition will be applied along with the Scale for Stress Assessment in Nursing Students and the Dutch Food Behavior Questionnaire. Expected results: to identify the association between stress and eating behavior among undergraduate students in nursing. Implications for nursing: The study will be significant for the training of new nursing professionals, through analysis of dietary conditions and the influence of stress on professional training, supporting the future elaboration of strategies to minimize the effects of stress and, consequently, the eating dysfunctions of nursing students.
Descriptors: Nursing; Stress, Psychological; Students; Feeding Behavior.
In university education, the profile of students with health problems and eating disorders extends to the nursing area. The concern with the new environment, the practical activities and the professional formation contribute to the most varied changes in the routine of the nursing students. Despite the changes in the curricular structuring of the last years and the active methodologies introduced in the learning, beginners and graduates of nursing still find it difficult to adapt to the barriers and challenges present in the academic environment, causing physiological and psychic dysfunctions such as stress(1).
Research carried out with undergraduate dentistry students showed that, during higher education, 60% of the participating students had visible manifestations of the stress level, with a direct association in the development of symptoms of severe depression, as well as irregularity in feeding. An undesirable profile was demonstrated, in which only 12% of those interviewed included healthy foods on their menu, collaborating for overweight during university(2,3).
In this sense, it is necessary to develop research with the perspective of analyzing the current situation of nursing students, as well as to base the production of new studies, actions and future strategies that aim to work with the guidance of the students in dealing with the stressors stimuli, in an attempt to control them to maintain healthy habits of life that can reflect in the professional performance and, consequently, in the daily life and quality of life of this university.
Is there an association between the level of stress of nursing undergraduates and the eating behavior of these students?
Analyze the levels of stress and its association with the eating behavior of undergraduate nursing students from a public university.
(i) Identify the stress levels of nursing students; (ii) verify feeding behavior in nursing students; (iii) analyze the association of stress levels in the eating behavior of nursing students.
This is a cross-sectional and observational study using a quantitative approach. It will be held in the city of Natal/RN, specifically in the Nursing Department of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. The research population will be composed of students enrolled in undergraduate courses from the 1st to the 9th period of the nursing course, with an expected participation of 283 participants by sequential non-probabilistic sampling. The inclusion criteria were: students enrolled regularly in the undergraduate nursing course; students present in the classroom during the period of data collection. Those who do not complete all data collection processes will be excluded.
For data collection, three instruments will be used: sociodemographic population data collection form, the Stress Assessment Scale in Nursing Students (composed of 30 items distributed in 6 domains) and the Dutch Food Behavior Questionnaire (composed of 33 questions, grouped into three subscales).
A descriptive analysis will be performed for the measures of the results collected and for the profile of the sample according to the variables under study. The data will be organized in spreadsheets using the software Microsoft Office Excel® (version 2003) and will be submitted to statistical analysis through the SPSS software (version 20.0). The chi-square test will be used for the nominal variables and the Spearman test to establish the correlation between the stress and binge eating domains, adopting a level of statistical significance p-value<0.05. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) under CAAE No. 58884116.5.0000.5537, according to Resolution 466/2012 of the National Health Council.
The study will be significant for the training of new nursing professionals, through analysis of dietary conditions and the influence of stress on professional training, supporting the future development of strategies to minimize the effects of stress and, consequently, the dysfunctions in the nutrition of nursing students.
All authors participated in the phases of this publication in one or more of the following steps, in according to the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE, 2013): (a) substantial involvement in the planning or preparation of the manuscript or in the collection, analysis or interpretation of data; (b) preparation of the manuscript or conducting critical revision of intellectual content; (c) approval of the version submitted of this manuscript. All authors declare for the appropriate purposes that the responsibilities related to all aspects of the manuscript submitted to OBJN are yours. They ensure that issues related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the article were properly investigated and resolved. Therefore, they exempt the OBJN of any participation whatsoever in any imbroglios concerning the content under consideration. All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest of financial or personal nature concerning this manuscript which may influence the writing and/or interpretation of the findings. This statement has been digitally signed by all authors as recommended by the ICMJE, whose model is available in http://www.objnursing.uff.br/normas/DUDE_eng_13-06-2013.pdf
Received: 06/07/2017 Revised: 08/14/2018 Approved: 08/31/2018