| Name: | Description: | Size: | Format: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.93 MB | Adobe PDF |
Abstract(s)
O estudo do impacto dos contextos académicos na saúde e bem-estar dos estudantes universitários, particularmente no que diz respeito aos seus hábitos alimentares e estados emocionais, tem cada vez mais, vindo a ser objeto de investigação, devido às preocupações com a saúde física e mental desta futura geração. O presente estudo teve como objetivo compreender o processo de tomada de decisão alimentar de estudantes universitários, perante a seleção alimentar de snacks saudáveis/não saudáveis, utilizando uma metodologia inovadora e imagiologia cerebral, o fNIRS - functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy. A técnica de fNIRS, que permite medir a concentração de hemoglobina oxigenada e desoxigenada no cérebro, mapeando em tempo real a ativação cerebral. A amostra foi composta por 28 participantes com uma idade de média 22.07 anos. Os resultados revelaram que a maioria dos participantes apresentou uma preferência por escolhas alimentares não saudáveis em comparação com escolhas saudáveis, numa condição de stress. No entanto, o stress não pareceu afetar a rapidez das escolhas alimentares. A análise de ativação cerebral indicou que as regiões do córtex pré-frontal dorsolateral, ventromedial e ventrolateral foram particularmente ativadas na avaliação e seleção de alimentos. Também foi observado que a ingestão emocional, embora elevada, não apresentou correlação significativa entre o stress induzido e o aumento das escolhas alimentares não-saudáveis. Assim como, a perceção de saúde e os hábitos de sono não demonstrou associações claras com os padrões alimentares. Concluímos que estudos como este oferecem uma visão abrangente das complexidades envolvidas na tomada de decisão alimentar, sublinhando a necessidade de estratégias integradas para promover escolhas alimentares saudáveis, nomeadamente perante situações de stress, de modo a favorecer a saúde física e mental, e a qualidade de vida e performance cognitiva desta nova geração.
The study of the impact of academic contexts on the health and well-being of university students, particularly with regard to their eating habits and emotional states, has become an increasingly important area of research due to concerns about the physical and mental health of this future generation. The aim of this study was to understand the food decision-making process of university students when faced with the choice of healthy/unhealthy snacks using an innovative methodology and brain imaging technique, fNIRS - functional near infrared spectroscopy. The fNIRS technique measures the concentration of oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobin in the brain and maps brain activation in real time. The sample consisted of 28 participants with an average age of 22.07 years. The results showed that the majority of participants showed a preference for unhealthy food choices compared to healthy choices in a stressful condition. However, stress did not seem to affect the speed of food choice. Brain activation analysis showed that the dorsolateral, ventromedial and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex regions were particularly activated during food evaluation and selection. It was also observed that although emotional eating was high, there was no significant correlation between induced stress and an increase in unhealthy food choices. Similarly, perceived health and sleep habits showed no clear associations with eating patterns. We conclude that studies such as this provide a comprehensive view of the complexities involved in food choices and highlight the need for integrated strategies to promote healthy food choices, particularly in the face of stressful situations, in order to promote the physical and mental health, quality of life and cognitive performance of this new generation.
The study of the impact of academic contexts on the health and well-being of university students, particularly with regard to their eating habits and emotional states, has become an increasingly important area of research due to concerns about the physical and mental health of this future generation. The aim of this study was to understand the food decision-making process of university students when faced with the choice of healthy/unhealthy snacks using an innovative methodology and brain imaging technique, fNIRS - functional near infrared spectroscopy. The fNIRS technique measures the concentration of oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobin in the brain and maps brain activation in real time. The sample consisted of 28 participants with an average age of 22.07 years. The results showed that the majority of participants showed a preference for unhealthy food choices compared to healthy choices in a stressful condition. However, stress did not seem to affect the speed of food choice. Brain activation analysis showed that the dorsolateral, ventromedial and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex regions were particularly activated during food evaluation and selection. It was also observed that although emotional eating was high, there was no significant correlation between induced stress and an increase in unhealthy food choices. Similarly, perceived health and sleep habits showed no clear associations with eating patterns. We conclude that studies such as this provide a comprehensive view of the complexities involved in food choices and highlight the need for integrated strategies to promote healthy food choices, particularly in the face of stressful situations, in order to promote the physical and mental health, quality of life and cognitive performance of this new generation.
Description
Keywords
Tomada de decisão alimentar Estudantes universitários Snacks saudáveis Stress fNIRS Food decision-making University students Healthy snacks