Stress, Anxiety and Depression in Young Adults and their Relationship with Nutritional Status

Abstract

Objective: To identify the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress in young adults and its relationship with nutritional status. Methods: Observational, cross-sectional, analytical and prospective study. A total of 214 Beneficiaries between the ages of 20 and 35, not pregnant, from the Family Medicine Unit No. 77, in Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas, were included. Systematic probabilistic sampling at a fixed interval of 3 patients. DASS-21 was applied for stress, anxiety and depression and weight and height were determined to calculate BMI. Data were analyzed through the SPSS V25.0 program. Results: Mean age of 28 years old, 62.6% women, 53.7% single and 31.8% in free union. In addition, 59.3% mentioned having a bachelor’s degree as their last academic degree. A significant association was determined between nutritional status and depression (p=0.000), anxiety (p=0.001) and stress (p=0.004) with a 95% confidence interval. Conclusion. There is a significant presence of mental disorders and malnutrition in the population and their relationship reflects the need to integrate patient mood assessment as part of the strategy to deal with overweight and obesity together with changes in lifestyle.