Association between Stress and Diet Quality among Women of Reproductive Age from a University Population in two countries: UK and Lebanon

Conference: Bournemouth University, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences

Abstract:

Background and purpose – Poor diet has been linked with increased obesity-related diseases. Perceived stress has been associated with poorer dietary patterns; however, the evidence among reproductive-aged women is scarce. The objective of this PhD project was to investigate the association between stress and dietary quality/patterns in reproductive-aged women from UK and Lebanon and to explore confounding/explanatory factors that affect the stress and diet association by including a culturally diverse sample of women of reproductive age.

Methods – A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to review the literature on the association between stress and diet. Further, a cross-sectional study was conducted among reproductive-aged women in the UK using an online survey questionnaire to investigate the association between stress and dietary quality/patterns. In Lebanon, a similar study has been conducted after validating the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC) food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) among Lebanese adults. Lastly, Structural Equation Modeling was performed to assess the association between stress and diet and all other variables among the whole sample. Results – The systematic review showed contradictory results and meta-analysis demonstrated a negative association between stress and dietary quality in reproductive-aged women. The study in UK also found that stress was negatively associated with dietary quality/patterns among reproductive-aged women. After validating the EPIC FFQ in Lebanon, the next study revealed no association between stress and dietary quality/patterns among reproductive-aged women. Structural equation modeling indicated that the country-context directly affected dietary quality and patterns, and indirectly through the mediating effect of stress. Being from Lebanon had a negative impact on diet through having increased stress levels.

Discussion –This thesis makes an original contribution to the existing knowledge by furthering our understanding of the association between stress and diet and the need to look more closely at women of childbearing age. Further, it provides evidence to support the implementation of an evidence-based stress/diet intervention to be used with childbearing-aged women, supporting their health and experiences before pregnancy.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/38716/

Source: Manual