| Summary: | Background: The good state of a student’s mental health is important for their academic success. Sometimes the burden of the harsh exams and factors like pressure from parents can lead to depression. One of the most common methods to overcome depression is through excessive food intake. This study aims to find out whether depression leads to bad nutritional habits and obesity, among first- and second year university students.
Methods: A sample of 171 students from Medical University of Plovdiv was investigated with a self-report questionnaire, which included demographic information and Zung self-rating depression scale.
Results: The prevalence of depression among the medical students was 64%. Gender did not affect the degree of depression (χ2 = 5.58, df = 3, r = 0.133), although female students have higher levels of mild and moderate depression, and there is severe depression at 3.5 % of women. There was no statistically significant difference in BMI levels among students with different levels of depression (p = 0.196), but there was one between the group with moderate and severe depression (p = 0.034). Students with big financial burden, study-induced stress and dissatisfaction with the achieved results showed to be more depressed. Those who live alone or in dormitories showed higher depression scores.
Conclusions: Multiple factors may contribute to depression. Therefore, academic staffs should take measures to reduce stress among medical students and to provide psychological support for students to cope with these problems.
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