Resumen

SANCHEZ-DOMINGUEZ, Juan Pablo et al. School stress, nutritional health, and academic performance in university students: a multi-center study. Revista InveCom [online]. 2026, vol.6, n.3, e603008.  Epub 30-Oct-2025. ISSN 2739-0063.  https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17201733.

Academic stress affects the physical, mental, and nutritional health of university students, influencing their eating habits and academic performance. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the relationship between academic stress (AS), nutritional health (NH), and academic performance (AP) in first-year nutrition students. A multicenter, quantitative, cross-sectional, and correlational study was conducted in five universities in southeastern Mexico, with the participation of 1,392 students. Academic stress was measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), nutritional health through body mass index (BMI), and academic performance with the university's academic records. ANOVA, Student's t-test, and Pearson correlation were used for the analysis, with ethical committee approval. The results indicated a mean AS score of 20.63, with 53.45% of students at a high level and 38.51% at a moderate level. The average BMI was 24.50, with 61.49% of students having a normal weight and 36.78% being overweight or obese. The average AP score was 84.22, with 81% of students performing at good or excellent levels. The correlations between the variables were weak: AS-NH (r = -0.096), AS-AP (r = 0.302), and NH-AP (r = -0.213). Although moderate stress was positively related to academic performance and weakly negatively related to BMI, the overall associations were low and not significant. It was concluded that stress, nutritional health, and academic performance are weakly linked. Further research is recommended, along with the development of institutional strategies to improve stress management and promote healthy lifestyles among university students.

Palabras clave : stress; academic performance; nutritional health.

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