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Abstract
It is a known fact that stress negatively affects food choices. Consequentially, this paper analyzes
three different research questions using a sample of 330 international students in Germany.
Firstly, it is observed if stress affects students’ motivations to eat, i.e. if it triggers changes in the
motivation behind food choices. Results show that this is not the case. Secondly, it is tested if
social support acts as a buffer on the relationship between stress and healthy eating, similarly to
the model proposed by Lakey and Cohen (2000), where social support buffers the negative
consequences of stress on health. Specifically, it is tested whether social support affects Internet
usage and subsequently if Internet usage is a coping strategy and eases the negative consequences
of stress on healthy eating. Taking into account that there is no effect of social support on Internet
usage and since Internet usage does not moderate the relationship between stress and healthy
eating, the paper continues to show that instead social support is a moderator for the relationship
between stress and healthy eating. Interestingly however, Internet usage has a direct and positive
relationship with healthy eating, i.e. the more the Internet is used the healthier do students eat.
Thirdly, the paper elaborates on the question if students in Germany use the Internet as an
information source for diet and health related problems for example on social media sites and
additionally if the use of this information did change their dietary behavior. Results show that
people with high dietary information search tendencies are 1.76 times more likely to change their
diets due to the information found online. The results of this study are important for public policy
measures dealing with student health.