Knowledge and Attitudes towards Problematic Eating Behaviours among Undergraduate Nursing Students in UNIMAS
| dc.contributor.author | ADRIANNE AUGUSTINE | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-04-08T07:12:29Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025 | |
| dc.description | Problematic eating behaviours (PEBs), including binge eating, emotional eating, and restrictive dieting, are increasingly prevalent among university students, particularly those in high-stress programs such as nursing. These behaviours can adversely impact both physical and mental health. Understanding nursing students' knowledge and attitudes toward PEBs is crucial, as they are future healthcare providers expected to promote healthy behaviours and provide compassionate care to patients with eating-related concerns. A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted among 163 undergraduate nursing students at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic data, a 10-item knowledge assessment on PEBs, and the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26) to assess attitudes. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 27, including descriptive statistics and Spearman correlation to examine the relationship between knowledge and attitudes. Majority of the nursing students demonstrated moderate knowledge (73.6%), while 16.6% had good knowledge and 9.8% had poor knowledge regarding PEBs. Regarding attitudes, 83.4% of respondents demonstrated positive attitudes toward eating behaviours, while 16.6% exhibited negative attitudes (EAT-26 scores ≥20). A weak, statistically non-significant negative correlation was found between knowledge and attitudes (rₛ (163) = –.132, p = .092), indicating that increased knowledge does not necessarily translate to more favourable eating attitudes. Although majority of students possessed moderate knowledge and positive attitudes, the absence of a significant correlation between knowledge and attitudes suggests that knowledge alone is insufficient to foster positive behavioural attitudes. This finding has important implications for nursing education, indicating that educational interventions should address not only information gaps but also psychological, cultural, and social influences on eating behaviours. These findings iv support the development of comprehensive, culturally sensitive educational and mental health interventions for nursing students that go beyond traditional knowledge-based approaches. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://scholarhub.unimas.my/handle/123456789/323 | |
| dc.language.iso | English | |
| dc.publisher | UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SARAWAK | |
| dc.relation.ispartofseries | Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences | |
| dc.subject | Problematic eating behaviours, nursing students, knowledge, attitudes, EAT-26, nursing education, Malaysia | |
| dc.title | Knowledge and Attitudes towards Problematic Eating Behaviours among Undergraduate Nursing Students in UNIMAS | |
| dc.type | Final Year Project |