University of Twente Student Theses
Unhealthy eating -: How Sport and stress are related to eating-specific Compensatory Health Beliefs
Smoletz, F.G (2016) Unhealthy eating -: How Sport and stress are related to eating-specific Compensatory Health Beliefs.
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Abstract: | One reason for eating unhealthy could be engaging and holding compensatory health beliefs (CHBs). CHBs are beliefs that different negative effects on unhealthy behavior like eating unhealthy food, could be reduced or counteracted by engaging in healthy behavior. Holding CHBs result in poor health. This Study aimed to get more insight about the relation between specific personal factors and holding eating-specific CHBs or general CHBs. A factor which could cause poor health and unhealthy eating behavior is perceived stress. One possibility to reduce the perceived stress level is being physically active, whereas other studies and literature suggested that being physically active could also lead to exhaustion. This is examined in this study, which looks for possible relations between general stress, exhaustion, physical activity and eating-specific CHB behavior and beliefs. Furthermore this study investigates if stress and exhaustion could befall people who are highly physically active. For measuring stress, exhaustion, physical activity and the CHB constructs an online survey was created and spread through several networks, also aiming at people who are physically active above the average. A total sample of 195 participants finished the questionnaire, of whom 45 participants were showing a very high level of being physically active. By examining these groups no significant findings where found confirming a moderation or mediation effect for physical activity exhaustion or stress related to CHB eating specific beliefs or CHB eating specific behavior. Findings suggests that high levels of exhaustion are related to CHB eating specific behavior (r=.26). Moreover findings suggests that the level of perceived stress and eating-specific CHB behavior are positively related (r=.16). Some relations between the other CHB constructs and exhaustion or stress was found. Furthermore it was found that proportion of participants meeting the norm of eating fruit and vegetables was significantly higher in the group of high and very high physical activity compared to the group of moderate and low physical activity ( X2= 17.60, N= 195, p < .0.05). As a conclusion it could be determined that high levels of stress and exhaustion results in negative health behavior, whereas higher level of physical activity tends to help people in engaging healthy behavior because of negative relations to all measured CHB constructs. |
Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
Subject: | 77 psychology |
Programme: | Psychology BSc (56604) |
Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/70076 |
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