HUBUNGAN TINGKAT STRESS DAN EMOTIONAL EATING DENGAN STATUS GIZI PADA MAHASISWA TINGKAT AKHIR UNIVERSITAS AL-AZHAR INDONESIA

Abstrak

Mahasiswa tingkat akhir merupakan kelompok yang rentan mengalami stress akademik akibat tuntutan penyelesaian skripsi dan transisi menuju dunia kerja. Kondisi tersebut dapat memicu perubahan perilaku makan, salah satunya berupa emotional eating, yaitu kebiasaan makan yang muncul sebagai respons terhadap emosi negatif. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis hubungan antara tingkat stress dan emotional eating dengan status gizi pada mahasiswa tingkat akhir Universitas Al-Azhar Indonesia. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kuantitatif dengan desain cross-sectional yang melibatkan 64 responden yang dipilih menggunakan teknik purposive sampling. Data dikumpulkan melalui wawancara menggunakan kuesioner Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) untuk menilai tingkat stress, Eating Appraisal Due to Emotions and Stress (EADES) untuk menilai perilaku emotional eating, serta pengukuran antropometri untuk menentukan status gizi berdasarkan Indeks Massa Tubuh (IMT). Analisis data dilakukan menggunakan uji korelasi Spearman. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa sebagian besar responden memiliki tingkat stress sedang (57,1%), perilaku emotional eating ringan (65,1%), dan status gizi normal (49,2%). Hasil uji korelasi Spearman menunjukkan tidak terdapat hubungan yang signifikan antara tingkat stress dengan status gizi (p = 0,561; p > 0,05) maupun antara emotional eating dengan status gizi (p = 0,838; p > 0,05). Dengan demikian, dapat disimpulkan bahwa tingkat stress dan perilaku emotional eating tidak berhubungan secara signifikan dengan status gizi pada mahasiswa tingkat akhir Universitas Al-Azhar Indonesia. Faktor lain seperti aktivitas fisik, pola tidur, dan dukungan sosial kemungkinan turut memengaruhi status gizi individu.

Final-year students are a population vulnerable to academic stress due to the demands of thesis completion and transition to the professional environment. Such conditions may trigger changes in eating behavior, including emotional eating, which refers to eating in response to negative emotions. This study aims to analyze the relationship between stress levels and emotional eating with nutritional status among final-year students at Al-Azhar University Indonesia. This research employed a quantitative method with a cross-sectional design involving 64 respondents selected using the purposive sampling technique. Data were collected through interviews using the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) to assess stress levels, the Eating Appraisal Due to Emotions and Stress (EADES) to measure emotional eating behavior, and anthropometric measurements to determine nutritional status based on Body Mass Index (BMI). Data were analyzed using the Spearman correlation test. The results showed that most respondents experienced moderate stress levels (57.1%), mild emotional eating behavior (65.1%), and normal nutritional status (49.2%). The Spearman correlation test indicated no significant relationship between stress levels and nutritional status (p = 0.561; p > 0.05) and no significant relationship between emotional eating and nutritional status (p = 0.838; p > 0.05). In conclusion, stress levels and emotional eating behavior were not significantly associated with nutritional status among final-year students at Al-Azhar University Indonesia. Other factors such as physical activity, sleep patterns, and social support may also influence nutritional status.