Association between ultra-processed food consumption and perceived stress among teaching professionals: a gender-stratified cross-sectional study from Urban India.

BACKGROUND

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have become deeply embedded in contemporary dietary patterns, particularly among urban working populations. Concurrently, perceived stress especially in high-demand occupations such as teaching has emerged as a significant public health concern. Understanding the relationship between UPF consumption and perceived stress is essential for designing targeted nutritional and mental health interventions.

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated the association between ultra-processed food consumption and perceived stress levels among teaching professionals, with specific attention to gender-related differences in dietary behavior and stress experience.

METHODS

A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 549 teaching professionals from educational institutions across urban India. UPF consumption was quantified using a validated 20-item binary-scored instrument aligned with the NOVA classification system. Participants were stratified into Low ( ≤ 8 items; n = 149), Moderate (9-12 items; n = 241), and High (≥13 items; n = 159) UPF consumption groups. Perceived stress was assessed using the validated 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Analytical methods included Welch-corrected independent samples t-tests, Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses, simple and multivariable linear regression.

RESULTS

Mean PSS-10 scores increased progressively across Low (2.77 ± 0.54), Moderate (3.01 ± 0.36), and High (2.97 ± 0.32) UPF consumption groups. Welch-corrected t-test demonstrated significantly higher perceived stress in the High versus Low group [t(236.67) = -3.95, p < 0.001; Cohen's d = 0.70). Pearson correlation revealed a significant positive association (r = 0.210, p < 0.001; R2 = 0.044), confirmed by Spearman's ρ = 0.178 (p < 0.001). Multivariable regression showed UPF consumption remained significantly associated with perceived stress after adjustment for age, gender, and BMI (β = 0.175, p = 0.003). Female teachers reported significantly higher perceived stress than males across all UPF strata (β = 1.42 PSS points, p = 0.020).

CONCLUSION

Higher UPF consumption was significantly but modestly associated with elevated perceived stress among teaching professionals. The observed association is consistent with mechanistic pathways described in prior experimental literature, including gut-brain axis disruption and neuroendocrine dysregulation; however, these mechanisms were not empirically tested in the present study. Female educators demonstrated disproportionately higher stress burden. Findings support incorporating dietary behavior as a modifiable target within occupational wellness strategies for educators. Longitudinal, biomarker-inclusive, and gender-stratified research is warranted to establish directionality, test inflammatory and gut-brain mechanisms, and develop evidence-based occupational wellness interventions.