Abstract
M.A.
The available research on eating attitudes focuses to a large degree on eating disorders. The literature indicates that psychosocial determinants play a role in the eating attitudes of those individuals who suffer from eating disorders. The eating attitudes of Individuals who do not suffer from eating disorders, however, are also affected by psychosocial determinants. This study sets out to determine which psychosocial determinants play a role in the eating attitudes of a selected student population.
After having studied the available literature on the subject, the following factors were identified for inclusion in this research study: self-esteem, boredom, anxiety, depression, stress, HIV/Aids, social factors, family dynamics, interpersonal relationships, anger, guilt, loss of control, fatigue, spiritual factors, and psychological distress. The research reveals the significance of these factors, either on their own or in combination, in shaping the eating attitudes and habits of the selected student population.
The study was motivated by modern society’s increasing obsessed with food, eating and dieting, as well as the multidimensional role of food in modern life. It primarily serves as life-sustaining nourishment, but it has adopted multiple social meanings and emotional attachments as well.
The study was conducted by designing a questionnaire to derive answers pertaining to the relevance of the respective psychosocial factors to eating attitudes. This questionnaire was distributed among the second year, third year and honours psychology students at RAU.
The results indicated that psychosocial factors played a significant role in how and why the sample population ate. Awareness of the influence of these psychosocial determinants may contribute to changing those habits that may not be beneficial to the individual. This information could be applied by health practitioners in various fields of health care, such as psychologists, dieticians and medical practitioners.