Objective: The fact that young people's excessive internet use, which can be defined as addiction, may cause health problems, including eating disorders and obesity. This cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to determine the associations between internet addiction and the eating attitudes of university students. Material and Methods: This study was conducted with 509 undergraduate students. The short version of Young's Internet Addiction Test was used to identify internet addiction, and Eating Attitude Test was used to determine irregular eating patterns. Results: As internet addiction increased, the risk of eating disorders, obesity anxiety, and excessive interest in losing weight among the participants increased simultaneously (p<0.001). The regression analysis revealed that internet addiction might be associated with the eating attitudes of university students (R2=0.03, df1,2=1-507, F=15.185, p<0.001). The body mass index (BMI) of all problematic internet users was ≥30 kg/m2 (30.5±8.31). Conclusion: Although the internet has become an essential part of our lives, excessive use may bring the risk of addiction and also may trigger eating disorders. In this study, it was observed that internet addiction might cause an increase in BMI. Accordingly, as the students actualize the contents on the internet in real life and the effects on their eating behavior and choices increase, the risk of impairment in their eating attitudes increases. Consequently, there is a need to raise awareness about being a conscious internet user.
Keywords: Students; internet addiction disorder; eating behavior; feeding and eating disorders; obesity
Amaç: Bağımlılık olarak da tanımlanabilecek olan genç bireylerin aşırı internet kullanımı, yeme bozuklukları ve obezite gibi sağlık sorunlarına yol açabilir. Bu kesitsel tanımlayıcı çalışmada, üniversite öğrencilerinin internet bağımlılık düzeyleri ile yeme tutumları arasındaki ilişkinin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Bu çalışma, 509 lisans öğrencisi ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışmada, öğrencilerin internet bağımlılığını belirlemek için Young'ın İnternet Bağımlılığı Testi'nin kısa versiyonu, düzensiz yeme örüntülerini belirlemek için ise Yeme Tutum Testi kullanılmıştır. Bulgular: Çalışmadan elde edilen verilere göre üniversite öğrencilerinin internet bağımlılık düzeyleri arttıkça yeme bozuklukları riski, obezite kaygıları ve kilo vermeye aşırı ilgileri de aynı anda artmaktadır (p<0,001). Regresyon analizi bulguları, internet bağımlılığının üniversite öğrencilerinin yeme tutumları ile ilişkili olabileceğini ortaya koymaktadır (R2=0,03, df1,2=1-507, F=15,185, p<0,001). Üniversite öğrencileri arasında tüm problemli internet kullanıcılarının beden kİtle indeksi (BKİ) ≥30 kg/m2 (30,5±8,31) olarak tespit edilmiştir. Sonuç: İnternet, hayatımızın vazgeçilmez bir parçası hâline gelse de aşırı kullanımının bağımlılık riskini de beraberinde getirdiği ve yeme bozukluklarını tetikleyebildiği unutulmamalıdır. Bu çalışmada, internet bağımlılığının BKİ üstünde artışa neden olabileceği gözlenmiştir. Dolayısıyla üniversite öğrencilerinin internetteki içerikleri gerçek hayatlarına uyguladıkça ve bu durumun yeme davranışlarına ve seçimlerine etkileri arttıkça yeme tutumlarında bozulma riski de artmaktadır. Sonuç olarak, toplumda bilinçli bir internet kullanıcısı olma konusunda farkındalık yaratılmasına ihtiyaç olduğu görülmektedir.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Öğrenciler; internet bağımlılığı bozukluğu; yeme alışkanlığı; beslenme ve yeme bozuklukları; obezite
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