Determining the relationship between intuitive eating behavior and nutritional status of exam anxiety in students preparing for exam

This study was carried out to determine the test anxiety and intuitive eating status of students preparing for the exam and to evaluate the relationship between their nutritional status. This study was conducted between December 2019 - March 2020 with 225 students in total (142 female and 83 male) who were aged 16-18 and studying at the 11th and 12th grades in a private education course in Ankara Elvankent; and who were preparing for the university exam and voluntarily accepted to participate in the study. A questionnaire was applied to all students who agreed to participate in the study, in which descriptive information about their general characteristics, health status, physical activities, eating habits, and anthropometric measurements were questioned. A 24-hour retrospective food consumption record form was used to determine the daily energy and nutrients of individuals. The Revised Test Anxiety Inventory (RTA) was used to measure the test anxiety of the participants, and the Intuitive Eating Inventory-2 (IES-2) was used to measure the level of intuitive eating. RTA mean score of female students was higher than male students (p<0.05). A statistically significant and negative correlation was found between the students' body weight (kg), height (cm) and waist circumference (cm) and total RTA scores (p<0.05). No statistically significant correlation was found between the students' total and sub-dimension RTA scores and their energy (kcal), protein (g), fat (g), carbohydrate (g) consumption (p>0.05). In the study, it was observed that the IES-2 general score averages of male students were higher than that of female students (p<0.05). Eating sub-dimension mean scores of male students based on physiological reasons rather than emotional reasons are higher than female students (p<0.05). There was no statistical difference according to gender between the mean scores of the students in the sub-dimensions of unconditional eating allowance, reliance on hunger and satiety signals, and body-food choice fit (p>0.05). A statistically significant and negative correlation was found between students' BKI and waist/height ratio and IES-2 scores (p<0.005). No statistically significant correlation was found between the students' IES-2 total and sub-dimension scores and their energy (kcal), protein (g), fat (g), carbohydrate (g) consumption (p>0.05). As the students' overall IES-2 scores increased, tension, somatic symptoms, anxiety, and overall RTA scores decreased. As the students' eating scores based on physiological reasons rather than emotional ones increased, the scores they got in general and all sub-dimensions of RTA decreased (p<0.05). As the students' scores of trusting hunger and satiety signals increased, their overall RTA, tension and physical symptoms scores decreased (p<0.05). As the students' body-food choice fit scores increased, their scores for thoughts unrelated to the exam decreased (p<0.05). This study may indicate that increased intuitive eating level may be associated with decreased test anxiety. More studies are needed to support the results of this study.