Academic stress and adolescent health: Exploring eating patterns, dietary preferences, and sleep duration in Pakistan's youth

Adolescence is a critical phase marked by significant physical, emotional, and social changes, with academic stress emerging as a major concern due to the increasing educational demands. Although academic stress is known to affect eating patterns and sleep duration, there is limited research on these effects among Pakistani youth. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the impact of academic stress on eating patterns, dietary preferences, and sleep duration in adolescents. Data was collected from 377 adolescents, aged 14–19 years, through a comprehensive questionnaire covering socio-demographic information, academic stress levels, eating patterns, and dietary preferences. Spearman's correlation and logistic regression were used for analysis. The sample consisted of 54.9% females and 45.1% males. Results showed that academic stress was significantly higher in females (mean score: 55.8) compared to males (mean score: 53.2); (p < 0.05). A weak negative correlation was found between academic stress and both eating patterns (rho = −0.124, p < 0.05) and sleep duration (rho = −0.116, p < 0.05), indicating that higher academic stress was linked to unhealthy eating habits and reduced sleep duration in adolescents. Additionally, 86.5% of participants were classified as stress under-eaters. Logistic regression further indicated that stressed male students were more likely to consume fast food, while stressed females demonstrated a higher intake of sugary beverages. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to support adolescents in managing academic stress and highlight the importance of further research to explore the causal relationship between stress and dietary patterns.