Body mass index conditions and eating attitudes in young nurses: a pilot psycho-immune-endocrine investigation

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
Purpose. To investigate a cohort of young Italian nurses to identify whether the body mass index (BMI) and eating flexibility differed and were associated according to the basic characteristics of sex, smoking behavior, or shift activity, the levels of neutrophils, lymphocytes, or platelets in blood, and the psychological conditions of anxiety, depression, stress, or insomnia. Materials and Methods. The data include sex, BMI, smoking behavior, shift activity, neutrophil, lymphocyte, and platelet levels, eating flexibility [measured using the eating disorder flexibility index (EDFLIX) and the subdimensions EDFLIX-GF for general flexibility, EDFLIX-FoEx for food and exercise flexibility, and EDFLIX-WeSh for weight and shape flexibility], and mental health [assessed using the depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS-21) and the insomnia severity index (ISI)]. Results. Differences in BMI with shift work (P=0.042) and anxiety with total EDFLIX (P<0.001), EDFLIX-GF (P<0.001), and EDFLIX-WeSh (P=0.044) scores were significant. Having depression was associated with significant differences in total EDFLIX (P<0.001), EDFLIX-GF (P=0.005), and EDFLIX-WeSh (P<0.001) scores. Nurses with moderate stress reported high total EDFLIX (P<0.001), EDGLIX-FoEx (P<0.001), and EDFLIX-WeSh (P=0.013) scores. Nurses with mild stress reported high EDFLIX-GF scores (P<0.001). Nurses without insomnia symptoms reported significantly high EDFLIX- FoEx scores (P<0.001). Associations between lymphocyte levels and EDFLIX-FoEx (β=-0.264; P=0.003), stress and EDFLIX-total (β=-0.436; P<0.001), EDFLIX-GF (β=-0.466; P<0.001) and EDFLIX-WeSh (P=0.022), and also between insomnia and EDFLIX-FoEx (β=-0.245; P<0.001) were significant. Conclusions. Nurses, from the beginning of their careers, should be monitored and encouraged to avoid adverse health practices that negatively influence their quality of life.
Supporting Agencies
No financial support was necessary for the conduct of this study. None of the authors have conflicts of interest.How to Cite

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.
Similar Articles
- Michaela Boggan, Christopher L. Edwards, Jordan Meek, Mary Wood, W. Jeff Bryson, John J. Sollers, Debra O. Parker, Camela S. Barker, Jessica Miller, Brianna Downey, Asha Lockett, Jazmin Rosales, Courtney Munroe, Jr., Noa Wax, Sharena Scott, Adult sickle cell disease and SARS-CoV-2: an increasingly common comorbidity for a rare disease , Italian Journal of Medicine: Vol. 18 No. 3 (2024)
- Riccardo Gerloni, Luciano Mucci, Carlotta Casati, Andrea Crociani, Ombretta Para, Elisabetta Benetti, Paola Gnerre, Anna Bovero, Elisa Romagnoli, Nicola Tarquinio, Clelia Canale, Davide Brancato, Laura Massarelli, Salvatora Piras, Management of sepsis: from evidence to clinical practice , Italian Journal of Medicine: Vol. 10 No. 4 (2016)
- Vito Borzì, Andrea Fontanella, The clinical impact of hypoglycemia in hospitalized patients , Italian Journal of Medicine: Vol. 9 No. 1 (2015)
- Vincenzo Trapanese, Francesco Maruca, Maria Resilde Natale, Federica Giofrè, Francesca Cosentino, Silvia Sergi, Giuseppe Armentaro, Valentino Condoleo, Franco Arturi, Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitor-associated non-diabetic ketoacidosis: a case report , Italian Journal of Medicine: Vol. 18 No. 2 (2024)
- Hafiza Sonia Bibi, Uzma Rafi, Sidra Khalid, Riffat Mehboob, Anbreen Bibi, Hani Sadaka Shalabi, Mohammed A. Zaher, Samy A. Abusikkien, Effect of magnesium and potassium on rheumatoid arthritis factor and quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized control trial , Italian Journal of Medicine: Vol. 19 No. 1 (2025)
- Vitorino Modesto dos Santos, David Lima Pedrosa, Leonardo Abreu Soares Ferreira, Mariely Fernanda Silva Helbingen, An old woman with chronic palmar dermatosis, rheumatism, and nail changes , Italian Journal of Medicine: Vol. 11 No. 4 (2017)
- Seyedeh Mahdieh Khoshnazar, Hamid Najafipour, Lida SoltaniNejad, Sara Pezeshki, Gholamreza Yousefzadeh, Predictive model for diabetes mellitus occurrence in Iran’s southeastern region: a study based on American diabetes association guidelines , Italian Journal of Medicine: Vol. 17 No. 2 (2023)
- Chiara Busti, Roberto Marchetti, Manuel Monti, Overcrowding in emergency departments: strategies and solutions for an effective reorganization , Italian Journal of Medicine: Vol. 18 No. 1 (2024)
- P117 | Severe atopic dermatitis treated with anti-il-4rα reduces the prevalence of psychological burden in alexithymic and non-alexithymic patients , Italian Journal of Medicine: Vol. 19 No. 1(s1) (2025): XXX FADOI Italian Congress | 10-12 May 2025
- Tiziana M. Attardo, Elena Magnani, Carlotta Casati, Danilo Cavalieri, Pietro Crispino, Federica Fascì Spurio, Stefano De Carli, Daniela Tirotta, Paola Gnerre, Management of celiac disease: from evidence to clinical practice , Italian Journal of Medicine: Vol. 11 No. 4 (2017)
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.