Key result
Greater Mediterranean diet compliance was independently and significantly related to a lower incidence of perceived stress and poor sleep quality among university students.
Why the study?
University students are vulnerable to mental disorders from stressful academic environments, motivating exploration into whether Mediterranean diet compliance relates to perceived stress and sleep quality.
Does greater Mediterranean diet compliance reduce perceived stress and poor sleep quality in university students?
Cross-Sectional (n=5,433)
Yes
Does greater Mediterranean diet compliance reduce perceived stress and poor sleep quality in university students?
Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with lower perceived stress and better sleep quality among university students.
Supports exploring Mediterranean diet for student well-being; leaves open causal effects pending prospective trials.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence is associated with a lower risk of developing several chronic diseases, including cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, cancer, and mental health diseases. University students are vulnerable to mental disorders that considerably affect their well-being and quality of life, which may be ascribed to the stressful environment during their academic studies. This cross-sectional survey designed to explore the relationship between MD compliance and perceived stress levels as well as sleep quality in a representative sample of university students from Greece. METHODS: This survey assigned 5433 university students from 10 Greek regions. We used qualified questionnaires to examine the socio-demographics of the assigned students. Anthropometrics were determined by qualified methods. Validated questionnaires were used to determine diverse lifestyle factors like physical activity, perceived stress, sleep quality and MD adherence. RESULTS: Concerning the primary objectives of this study, greater MD compliance was independently and significantly related to lower incidence of perceived stress and poor sleep quality in university students. As far as the secondary objectives of this study concern, greater MD compliance was independently and significantly related to female gender, rural type of residence, living with family, smoking, biomedicine studies, being normal weight, and having enhanced physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: This study reinforces the idea that healthy dietary patterns like MD could be a significant modifiable factor against perceived stress and poor sleep quality of university students. Based on this evidence, longitudinal studies should be performed to confirm whether MD can exert a causal effect on perceived stress and sleep quality.
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Dakanalis et al. (2025) conducted a cross-sectional in Perceived stress and poor sleep quality (n=5,433). Mediterranean diet compliance vs. Lower Mediterranean diet compliance was evaluated on Perceived stress levels and sleep quality. Greater Mediterranean diet compliance was independently and significantly related to a lower incidence of perceived stress and poor sleep quality among university students.
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