Investigating The Correlation Between Eating Disorders And Perceived Stress Among Working Professionals In Coimbatore: An Empirical Study

Background: This study examines the prevalence of eating disorders and their link to perceived stress among working professionals in Coimbatore to inform targeted prevention and intervention strategies. Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed the correlation between eating disorders (EDs) and perceived stress among 223 college faculty members in Coimbatore, India. Data were collected through structured self-reported questionnaires, including the Perceived Stress Scale and the SCOFF questionnaire. Analysis using SPSS (version 25) involved descriptive statistics and inferential tests, with significance set at p < 0.05. Results: The study results reveal that the average BMI of respondents is 26.38, indicating overweight status, with waist circumference averaging 87.73 cm, suggesting abdominal obesity. Screen time averages 2.84 hours on weekdays and 3.31 hours on weekends, pointing to a sedentary lifestyle. The correlation analysis between perceived stress and eating behaviors among working professionals in Coimbatore showed no statistically significant relationship between perceived stress (PSS score) and eating habits, meal skipping, or snacking frequency. However, there was a moderate positive correlation between eating disorders and demographic factors. Additionally, a strong negative correlation was observed between meal skipping and the specific meal skipped (r = -0.982, p < 0.001), indicating a pattern of consistently skipping the same meal. Conclusions: The study indicates that perceived stress does not significantly influence eating behaviors among working professionals in Coimbatore, emphasizing the need for further exploration of factors affecting dietary habits in this population