Dietary attitudes and their link to academic performance in university students.

Abstract

Emotions influence dietary habits, affecting both health and academic performance. This quantitative, descriptive-correlational, and cross-sectional study analyzed 302 university students in the health sciences field in southeastern Mexico, utilizing the Eating Attitudes Questionnaire (EAHI) and semester grade averages to assess academic performance. The findings revealed that 56.62% of the participants were female and 43.38% were male; the overall average grade was 86.37, and 52.31% had not failed any courses. Eating attitudes were concentrated at "moderately high" and "medium" levels. ANOVA analysis revealed significant associations (p < .001) between eating attitudes, academic performance, and course failure. Promoting healthy habits and providing emotional support can enhance the academic performance of university students.