Perceived Stress Level, GI Symptoms, and Dietary Intake Among College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVES: To investigate perceived stress, gastrointestinal symptoms, and dietary intake among male and female college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: College students (n = 459; aged 18–23), participated in the study. An online questionnaire was collected in mid-April 2020 that included the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), National Cancer Institute Dietary Screener, and an adapted version of the Gastrointestinal Symptoms Questionnaire. ANOVA with Bonferroni correction was used to analyze the data with significance set at p < .05. RESULTS: Overall, there was a significant difference in mean GI scores reported between those with low, medium, and high perceived stress (F(2,459 )= 28.33; p = .000). Mean fruit intake differed among low and high perceived stress tertiles (F(2,459 )= 3.067; p = .048). In females, mean GI scores were significantly different, with increasing GI mean scores in each PSS tertile (F(2,331 )= 18.66; p = .000). In females, added sugar intake was significantly different between low and high and medium and high perceived stress tertiles (F(2,3328 )= 4.350; p = .014) with increased added sugar consumption the higher the perceived stress scores. In males, significant differences in GI mean scores were found between low and high and medium and high perceived stress tertiles (F(2,125 )= 6.713; p = .002). No significant differences were found in dietary intake based on perceived stress tertile for males (p > .05). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that college students' GI symptoms appear to be greater in those with more perceived stress. Stress management could be prioritized to reduce the occurrence and severity of GI symptoms in both college-age males and females and possibly lead to less added sugar intake in females. FUNDING SOURCES: CSBSJU Undergraduate Research Grant.