Studying the relationship between tobacco use and eating behavior among Egyptian university students

Abstract

Background: Cigarette smoking is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. In addition to the independent risks related to cigarettes, smoking is highly associated with obesity-related behaviors including unhealthy diet. Despite the public health significance, little is known about mechanisms underlying with the paired relationship of smoking and unhealthy dietary behaviors. Aim of the Work: This study aimed to Detect the relationship among smoking status and total and specific types of food cravings (i.e., high-fats, sweets, fast-food fats, and complex carbohydrates/starches) ,the influence of demographic, clinical, and psychological factors on this relationship and estimate the frequency of nicotine dependence among a sample of 420 egyptian students from 4 theoritical and 4 practical faculties in Ain Shams University Patients and Methods: This is an observational Cross sectional study study conducted in 8 different faculties in Ain Shams University. The present study aimed at analyzing the demographic data of 420 egyptian university students, during the academic year 2018-2019.The severity of nicotine dependence among those students was assessed using Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), eating behavior was assessed using Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) , Socio-Economic Status (SES) Scale for assessing socio-economic level and Eating Disorder Examination Scale for assessing eating disorders