A Study on Perceived Stress and Dietary Habits of Female College Students

여대생의 스트레스와 식생활 양상에 관한 연구

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate perceived stress and dietary habits of female college students and define the relationships between them. Method: A convenient sampling method was used at a university based In Seoul. Finally, 412 students participated in the study from May 1 to June 10, 2008. The questionnaires administered consisted of a Stress Scale for college students and Dietary habit scale questionnaires. The students filled out the questionnaires by themselves. The collected data was analyzed with the SPSS Win 14.0 statistics program, which was used to calculate the frequencies, percentages, ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation of the variables. Result: The major findings of this study were as follows; In general, female students were mostly stressed by 'schooling.' Stress scores were significantly different in accordance with religion. Overall, dietary habits of study participants were normal. Significant differences were observed in the dietary habits between type of residence, major, and spending money per month. There was a significant relationship between perceived stress and dietary habits. Conclusion: Stress management for female college students should be developed and nutritional education programs should be reinforced.