Association of Stress and dietary habits with Socio-demographic Factors among young adults: a cross- sectional study Gurugram (Haryana)

Abstract

This cross-sectional research aimed to investigate the association of stress and dietary habits with socio-demographic factors among young adults aged 18 to 35 years residing in Gurugram, Haryana. A total of 500 participants were selected using a snowball sampling approach via an online Google Form questionnaire. Data on perceived stress were obtained using the standardized Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), while dietary habits and socio-demographic information collected through a structured self-administered questionnaire. Statistical methods, including t-tests and ANOVA, were utilized to assess mean differences. The findings demonstrated a significant relationship between perceived stress levels and certain socio-demographic factors, especially gender a highly significant difference was observed between male and female respondents in their mean stress scores (t = 8.75, p = 0.000). A significant difference was also observed in stress levels across age groups (F = 9.06, p = 0.00). Income level showed a significant effect on stress (F = 11.00, p = 0.00). Respondents in the highest income category (>₹10 lakh p.a.) reported the greatest stress mean (25.87 ± 7.81), followed by those in the ₹5–10 lakh (23.04 ± 7.59) and ₹1–5 lakh (22.00 ± 7.90) groups. A highly significant difference was observed in dietary habits between male and female respondents (t = -6.00, p = 0.000). The effect of age on dietary habits was statistically non-significant (F = 1.78, p = 0.150), income level was found to have a significant impact on dietary habits (F = 6.92, p = 0.001). The results emphasize the connection between stress and dietary habits with socio-demographic variables among young adults.

Keywords: Dietary habits, stress, young adults