THE ROLE OF FOOD ADDICTION AND DEPRESSION IN DETERMINING EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS AMONG ATHLETICALLY ACTIVE AND NON-ATHLETE VARSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

To examine the role of food addiction and depression in determining executive functions among athletically active and non-athlete varsity students was the central objective of this study. Data were collected at one point in time using a quantitative research design that was cross-sectional in nature. A total of 335 varsity students participated in the study. Among them, 165 students were athletically active, while 170 students were non-athletes. Participants belonged to the 18–25 years age range group. The mean age of athletically active students was 21.36 years (SD = 2.161). For non-athlete students, the mean age was 20.96 years (SD = 1.707). All participants were enrolled in different BS degree programs in various academic departments of their universities. Data were collected using a questionnaire method. The questionnaire included basic demographic information of the participants. Depression was measured using the PHQ-2 questionnaire. Whereas, food addiction was assessed through the YFA scale. Executive functioning was assessed using the Stroop Test. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software (2022). Predictive relationships among the variables were examined using hierarchical regression techniques. The results showed that, among athletically active varsity students, depression and food addiction had a positive association with Stroop Test scores. Since higher Stroop scores indicate poorer performance, this finding suggests lower executive functioning among athletes with higher depression and food addiction levels. In contrast, depression did not show any significant relationship with executive functions among non-athlete varsity students. However, food addiction showed a negative association with Stroop Test scores in this group. This indicates that non-athlete students with higher food addiction scores performed better on the Stroop Test. These findings suggest that emotional and behavioral factors may influence executive functioning differently in athletic and non-athletic university students.