Type A behavior pattern and food intake of the nursing students

Abstract

It has been suggested that Type A Behavior Pattern is more frequently observed among nurses than among workers in other professions. It can be assumed that the elevated prevalence of Type A Behavior Pattern among working nurses would also be evident among nursing students. Therefore, in order to clarify the prevalence of Type A Behavior Pattern among nursing students, we examined eating habits as one factor related to Type A Behavior Pattern, and attempted to elucidate the relationship between eating habits and Type A Behavior Pattern. The following results were obtained: 1. According to total scores on the Type A questionnaire of KG's Daily Life Questionnaire, the prevalence of Type A Behavior Pattern among nursing students was approximately equal to previously reported values for university students; however, scores for the sub-scale of aggression-hostility were lower, and scores for the hard-driving temperament, time urgency, and speed-power sub-scales were elevated. 2. Comparison of the results of the national nutrition survey among students in the same cohort indicated that nursing students had a reduced nutritional intake. Thus, we identified the "traditional type vs. modern type" and "necessary vs. nonessential" eating-habit factors that differ from the "traditional type vs. modern type" and "staple food vs. main and side dishes" factors extracted by a previous factor analysis of general Japanese women's eating habits. 3. Only the hard-driving temperament and time urgency sub-scale of the Type A questionnaire was observed to be related to factor scores on the summarized index of food intake.