REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

“PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS AFFECTING THE EATING HABITS AMONG BSME

1105 STUDENTS OF BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY”

A FINAL REQUIREMENT IN MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD GEd 102

SUBMITTED BY:

CARINGAL, JAY S.
CEPILLO, RANDY D.
GAMELLA. RHANIELLE C.
NACIONAL, ROBERT DANIELLE B.
SALAZAR, ASHLEY JANE P.

SUBMITTED TO:
MR. CHRISTIAN PATRICK D. TALUSAN

DECEMBER 2022
 I. INTRODUCTION

Food is one of the most important things that humans need in order to live. It nourishes
the body with energy, nutrients, helps in development, maintain life, and also helps in
stimulating growth. It also plays an important role in terms of nutrition and disease prevention.
Eating a balanced diet is vital for maximum health and fitness. We need a wide selection of
various foods to supply the optimum number of nutrients for maximum health.

Furthermore, every human has their own eating habits. It can be about why people eat,
how they eat, and which food they eat. It is the repetitive behavior of people that leads them to
choose, eat, and use certain food, and is influenced by different factors like psychological, social,
religion and culture.

On the other hand, psychological factors refer to the situations that influence one’s
mental state. It is something that limits or enhances the ways of how a person thinks.
Psychological factors can have a positive or negative effect. In terms of positivity, psychological
factors can help people to focus on strengths of behavior, feelings and thoughts. Maintaining a
high level of mental health can lead to a positive attitude, self-efficacy and motivation. It is also
linked to a better physical health that includes resistance to illnesses. On the other hand,
psychological factors like anxiety, depression, and experiences of trauma can have a negative
impact on a person. It can cause poor mental health that makes it difficult for a person to manage
the way they think, feel and act.

Many people turn to eating as a coping strategy to handle emotions like stress, boredom,
worry, or even to prolong happy feelings. While doing so could be beneficial in the short run,
eating to cope with one's emotions frequently results in regret and guilt, which may even make
the situation worse. They are not dealing with the issue that is stressing them out. Additionally,
gaining weight might have negative consequences on a person's self-esteem or have other
unfavorable effects on their health.

With this idea, the study aims to determine the eating habits of BSME 1105 students and
the positive and negative effects of psychological factors on eating habits of the students. It is
also conducted to know if there is a relationship to the
 II. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study entitled “PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS AFFECTING THE EATING

HABITS AMONG BSME 1105 STUDENTS OF BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY”
aimed to determine the psychological factors affecting the eating habits among BSME 1105
students of Batangas State University for the school year 2022-2023.
More specifically, it sought answers to the following questions:

1. What is the demographic profile of BSME 1105 students in Batangas State University
Alangilan in terms of:
1.1 Age
1.2 Sex
2. What are the eating habits of the students?
3. What are the positive effects of psychological factors on students' eating habits?
4. What are the negative effects of psychological factors on students' eating habits?
5. Is there a relationship between students’ eating habits and the positive effects of
psychological factors on students’ eating habits?
6. Is there a relationship between students’ eating habits and the negative effects of
psychological factors on students’ eating habits?
 III. METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the methods and procedures utilized by the researchers in order to
answer the specific problems presented for conducting the study. The study was conducted at
Batangas State University - The National Engineering University where different programs were
offered including Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME). The population in
this study was first year Mechanical Engineering students and the researchers gathered 20
students from the block of BSME 1105 as their respondents.

In this study, the researchers decided to use questionnaires as their research instrument to
have a source of information that will help them in their study. The questionnaire that was
prepared by the researchers was based on the statement of the problem of their study. After
formulating the questions, researchers utilized Google Forms and Messenger as their medium to
distribute the questionnaire and retrieve the answers of the respondents.

All the data gathered were analyzed, tabulated, and interpreted thoroughly with regard to
the eating habits, and positive and negative effects of psychological factors on the eating habits.
Statistical analysis was used to treat the data and identify the result of the study.

Data Gathered
Demographic Profile

AGE SEX

Students’ Answer Tally Students’ Answer Tally

18 14 Male 14

19 6 Female 6

Total 20 Total 20
What are the eating habits of the students?

Students’
Questions Answer Total

Yes No

Do you follow a healthy eating plan? 6 14 20

Do you often skip meals? 13 7 20

Do you eat snacks in between meals? 14 6 20

Do you eat vegetables and fruits? 20 0 20

Do you drink 8 glasses of water every 14 6 20

day?
 What are the positive effects of psychological factors on students' eating habits?

Students’ Answer

Statement Total

Strongly Strongly
Agree Disagree
Agree Disagree

Happiness affects my
12 8 0 0 20
appetite positively.

Depression makes me
turn to food
3 10 5 2 20
unconsciously for
comfort.

Motivation to do
work comes from 5 14 0 1 20
eating foods.

Adrenaline gives me
4 14 2 0 20
boost on appetite.

Sentimental value on
things makes me
4 13 3 0 20
appreciate and love
specific food.
 What are the negative effects of psychological factors on students' eating habits?

Students’ Answer

Statement Total
Strongly Strongly
Agree Disagree
Agree Disagree

Being stressed affects my

10 9 1 0 20
appetite.

Sadness can lead to my

5 10 3 2 20
emotional overeating.

Experiencing anxiety
creates a negative effect on
3 13 4 0 20
how I take my meals that
make me feel worse.

It's common to overindulge

in unhealthy foods when 2 11 6 1 20
I'm irritated or angry.

Boredom or sleep
deprivation may result in a
3 12 3 2 20
larger calorie consumption
during the day.
Statistical Treatment
Mean
This presents the respondent’s profile in relation to their age and sex in identifying the
eating habits and the positive and negative psychological effects of BSME 1105 students of
Batangas State University. The mean was used by the researchers to illustrate the average of all
the data's values.

1. Demographic Profile
Table 1.1

AGE

Students’ Answer x Mean

18 14 0.7

19 6 0.3

Total 20 1.00

Table 1.1 shows the mean of the respondents in terms of their age. The table
demonstrates that the most of the respondents were the age of 18 with its mean of 0.7 and the
remaining respondents with the age of 19 with its 0.3 mean. This implies that most of the
respondents are at the age of 18.
Table 1.2

SEX

Students’ Answer x Mean

Male 14 0.7

Female 6 0.3

Total 20 1.00

Table 1.2 illustrates that most of the respondents were male with its mean of 0.7 and
female with the mean of 0.3. The table shows that most of the respondents were 17 male and the
remaining 6 were female.
2. What are the eating habits of the students?

This section presents different kinds of eating habits experienced by the students from
Mechanical Engineering of Batangas State University.

Table 2

Weighted Mean Interpretation

Questions Rank
(x)

Do you follow a healthy 1.3

No 5
eating plan?

Yes
Do you often skip meals? 1.65 4

Do you eat snacks in between Yes

1.7 2.5
meals?

Do you eat vegetables and Yes

2 1
fruits?

Do you drink 8 glasses of Yes

1.7 2.5
water every day?

Yes -
Composite Mean 1.67

Legends: 1.00 - 1.49 = No; 1.50 - 2.00 = Yes

The table 2 depicts that most of the respondents answered that they do eat vegetables and
fruits with the mean of 2. Drinking 8 glasses of water every day and eating snacks in between
meals were ranked as 2nd as the respondents usually do with both 1.7 mean. It follows skipping
meals with the mean of 1.65 and following the healthy eating plan ranked 5th as the eating habits
that they don't usually follow with the mean of 1.3
3. What are the positive effects of psychological factors on students' eating habits?

This section indicates the effects of psychological factors on students’ eating habits and
how it affects the way they react on a certain thing.

Table 3

Weighted Mean
Interpretation Rank
Statements (y)

Happiness affects my appetite

3.6 Agree 1
positively.

Depression makes me turn to food

2.7 Agree 5
unconsciously for comfort.

Motivation to do work comes

3.15 Agree 2
from eating foods.

Adrenaline gives me boost on

3.1 Agree 3
appetite.

Sentimental value on things makes

me appreciate and love specific 3.05 Agree 4
food.

Composite Mean 3.12 Agree -

Legends: 1.00 - 1.49 = Strongly Disagree; 1.50 - 2.49 = Disagree; 2.50 - 3.49 = Agree; 3.50 -
4.00 = Strongly Agree

Table 3 indicates that the respondents agree that happiness affects their eating habits
and ranked as 1st with a mean of 3.6. They also agree with motivation that ranked as 2nd with
the mean of 3.15. Ranked as 3rd and all agree that their adrenaline really affects with the mean of
3.1. They also agree with their sentimental value on things and ranked as 4th with the mean of
3.05 and lastly, ranked as 5th and all agree that depression affects with the mean of 2.7.
 4. What are the negative effects of psychological factors on students' eating habits?

This section indicates the negative effects of psychological factors on students and how it
affects their eating habits.

Table 4
Statement
Weighted Mean Interpretation Rank
(z)
Being stressed affects my appetite. 3.45 Agree 1

Sadness can lead to my emotional 2.85 Agree 3

overeating.

Experiencing anxiety creates a 2.95 Agree 2

negative effect on how I take my
meals that make me feel worse.
It's common to overindulge in 2.7 Agree 5
unhealthy foods when I'm irritated
or angry.
Boredom or sleep deprivation may 2.8 Agree 4
result in a larger calorie
consumption during the day.
Composite Mean 2.95 Agree -

Legends: 1.00 - 1.49 = Strongly Disagree; 1.50 - 2.49 = Disagree; 2.50 - 3.49 = Agree;
3.50 - 4.00 = Strongly Agree

Table 3 represents the negative effects of psychological factors on students’ eating habits.
Ranked as 1st and agree that being stressed really affects with the mean of 3.45. Experiencing
anxiety ranked 2nd and is interpreted as agreeing with the mean of 2.95. It is ranked 3rd and
agrees that sadness really affects with the mean of 2.85. Ranked as 4th and agree that boredom
affects, with the mean of 2.8. And lastly, being irritated or angry and ranked as 5th with the mean
of 2.7

Formula

x y
x ; ;
Median

The researcher utilized the median to indicate or link the psychological factors affecting
the eating habits of the ME-1105 students of Batangas State University, given that it is in the
middle of the observed values' and quantities' frequency distribution.

Rank x Rank y Rank z

1 2 1 3.6 1 3.45

1.7 2 3.15 2 2.95

2.5
1.7 3 3.1 3 2.85

4 1.65 4 3.05 4 2.8

5 1.3 5 2.7 5 2.7

Total ∑x =8.35 Total ∑y =15.6 Total ∑z = 14.75

Median 1.7 Median 3.1 Median 2.85

Mode

In statistics, the value that consistently appears in a particular collection is referred to as

the mode. Moreover, we indicate a data set's value or number with a high frequency or more
frequently. According to the computed mode of 20 responses among Mechanical Engineering
Students from BSME-1105 from the table (Eating Habits X) the number that appear more
frequent in the set is mode 1.7 and from the tables (Positive and Negative effects of
psychological factors) (Y,Z) the number that appear the most in the set is none.

Variable Data Mode

x 2, 1.7, 1.7, 1.65, 1.3 1.7

y 3.6, 3.15, 3.1, 3.05, 2.7 None

z 3.45, 2.95, 2.85, 2.8, 2.7 None

Based on the table shown (X) 1.7 appears twice in the data, while in table (Y,Z), nothing
appears similar which means there is no Mode.
Standard Deviation

In computing the Standard Deviation (SD), the formula presented below was used. After
substituting the values in the formula, the answers would be SDx = 0.22, SDy = 0.29, and SDz =
0.26.

x
x

n x y z x2 y2 z2

1 2 3.6 3.45 4 12.96 11.90

2 1.7 3.15 2.95 2.89 9.92 8.70

3 1.7 3.1 2.85 2.89 9.61 8.12

4 1.65 3.05 2.8 2.72 9.30 7.84

5 1.3 2.7 2.7 1.69 7.29 7.29

Total ∑x=8.35 ∑y=15.6 ∑z=14.75 ∑x2=14.19 ∑y2=49.08 ∑z2 =43.85

x z x)2 )2 z)2

1.67 3.12 2.95 9.73 8.70

2.79

Formula:

x
x
Pearson r

In this study, the Pearson r or correlation coefficient was used to tell the linear association
between the eating habits, the positive and negative effects of psychological factors. The results
shows that both correlation coefficients can be interpreted using Guilford’s interpretation on r as
having a very dependable relationship.

r = 1.00478 or 1.00

r = 0.9294 or 0.93

n x y z

1 2 3.6 3.45

2 1.7 3.15 2.95

3 1.7 3.1 2.85

4 1.65 3.05 2.8

5 1.3 2.7 2.7

n=5 ∑x=8.35 ∑y=15.6 ∑z=14.75

 xy xz
x2 y2 z2

4 12.96 11.90 7.2 6.9

2.89 9.92 8.70 5.36 5.02

2.89 9.61 8.12 5.27 4.85

2.72 9.30 7.84 5.03 4.62

1.69 7.29 7.29 3.51 3.51

∑x2=14.19 ∑y2=49.08 ∑z2 =43.85 ∑xy = 26.37 ∑xz = 24.9

Formula:
 IV. RESULTS/CONCLUSION

Food is very important to human beings as it helps them to survive. Each human has their
own eating habits that can be affected by different factors like social, culture, psychological, and
religion. In terms of psychological factors, it can either benefit them or will become
disadvantageous. With this idea, a study was conducted to determine if psychological factors
affect the eating habits of the students from BSME 1105 at Batangas State University. Based
from Guilford’s interpretation, r = 1.00 and r = 0.93 shows that both have very dependable
relationship between the eating habits of the student and the positive effects of psychological
factors on their eating habits and between the eating habits of the student and the negative effects
of psychological factors on their eating habits respectively. This means that psychological factors
like happiness, motivation, stress, anxiety, and boredom can affect the students’ eating habits.

According to Caringal, the findings of this study are meant to demonstrate both the
advantages and disadvantages of eating habits. Eating food is essential to our daily lives because
it gives us the energy we need for all of our activities and work, as well as because it gives us a
longer life. Due to the effects of our eating habits, they can assist us in avoiding stress,
depression, sadness, boredom, and irritation. In addition, this study's results indicate a significant
relationship between psychological factors and the eating habits of ME-1105 students.

According to Mr. Cepillo, the findings of this study show that there are significant effects or
a relationship between psychological factors and the eating habits of ME-1105 students. There
will always be factors that truly affect everyone in a certain way; one of these is the daily eating
routine. Furthermore, everyone has a reason for how they are affected psychologically by factors.
Stress, depression, sadness, irritability, and boredom are more likely to have an impact on how
people behave when it comes to their eating habits. The gathered information provides evidence
to support the claim that those factors have a negative impact. Everyone's eating habits are
influenced not only by positive factors but also by negative ones that result in such unnecessary
behavior.

According to Gamella, the significance of the study about eating habits showed the
relationship between negative and positive psychological factors that affect the behavior, routine,
and the action of someone, he added that it considers different aspects such as foods, beliefs, and
mood to directly affect either good or bad in the weight, self-esteem and the health of a person.
Therefore, data gathered justify that ME-1105 student's eating habits were affected by these
psychological factors.

According to Nacional, the results of the study on the positive effects of factors on students'
eating habits indicated that happiness can primarily affect appetite positively, and that the next
factor is food as a source of encouragement for work. The third is that appetite is boosted by
adrenaline. The following reason is that people tend to value and enjoy certain foods because of
their sentimental worth. Finally, depression causes individuals to unconsciously turn to food for
solace. People can therefore preserve health by being active and eating nutritious, balanced
meals.

According to Salazar, food is important for people to keep good health and survive in their
everyday living. She added that every person has their own repetitive routine in terms of eating.
It can be about what they eat, whom they eat with, and how they eat. In this study, most of the
respondents agreed on different scenarios about how psychological factors affect the eating
habits of the student, either it is an advantage or disadvantage. Moreover, the findings in the
study show that eating habits of a student can be affected positively and negatively by the
psychological factors that they encounter in their daily lives.