The Relationship Between Stress and Maladaptive Weight-Related Behaviors in College Students: A Review of the Literature

Bidirectional relationships between nicotine vaping and maladaptive eating behaviors among young adults

Background

Past research indicates that young adult cigarette smokers are at risk of engaging in maladaptive eating behaviors (MEBs); however, whether this relationship extends to nicotine vaping is unclear. The current study assessed bidirectional associations between four types of MEBs and nicotine vaping among young adults.

Methods

1,303 young adults (20.5 ± 2.3 years; 63 % female) from a public, urban university were recruited and completed online surveys at six-month intervals from spring 2021 (W1) to spring 2023 (W5). Past 30-day nicotine vaping and four types of MEBs (susceptibility to external cues, emotional eating, routine restraint, and compensatory restraint) were evaluated.

Results

Longitudinal cross-lagged models examined the bidirectional relationships between past 30-day nicotine vaping and each type of MEB across five waves. Nicotine vaping predicted both susceptibility to external cues (β = 0.10, p <.05; Wave 2 to 3) and emotional eating (β = 0.08, p <.05; Wave 1 to 2). A significant cross-lag regression (Wave 4 to 5) showed nicotine vaping predicted to routine restraint (β = 0.08, p <.05), and routine restraint predicted to nicotine vaping (β = 0.12, p <.05).

Conclusions

Results indicated that nicotine vaping predicted MEBs; however, the type of MEB differed across waves, which may have been due to the COVID-19 pandemic context. Nicotine vaping predicted to MEBs reflecting vulnerability to the external environment and emotion regulation during a period of heightened restrictions, whereas later when pandemic restrictions had ceased nicotine vaping predicted only to routine restraint. Integrating research and practice on nicotine vaping and MEBs may inform public health efforts to decrease co-occurring health-risks in young adulthood.

Family cohesion and intuitive eating in Chinese college students: A serial mediation model

Improving intuitive eating can effectively prevent emotional eating, restrained eating, and overeating, and help improve people's physical and mental health. Based on the acceptance model of intuitive eating, ecological systems theory, family stress model, and transactional model of stress and coping, the present study aimed to explore the relationship between family cohesion and intuitive eating and its underlying mechanisms through a cross-sectional study design. A random sample of 702 college students from 29 provinces in China, aged from 18 to 26 years (54.56% male, M age = 21.12 years), voluntarily participated in the survey. Demographic variables, family cohesion, intuitive eating, perceived stress, and coping style were measured. The results indicated that family cohesion was significantly positively correlated with intuitive eating and the direct effect between them was significant. Meanwhile, there was a significant indirect effect of family cohesion on intuitive eating through perceived stress and positive coping styles. Moreover, perceived stress and positive coping styles, rather than negative coping styles, acted as serial mediators in the association between family cohesion and intuitive eating. The findings shed light on the prevention and intervention for disordered eating and obesity and provided a new theoretical perspective for the mental health education of college students. In addition, implications and directions for future research were also discussed.

Daily stress and eating behaviors in adolescents and young adults: Investigating the role of cortisol reactivity and eating styles

Stress-related eating has been well documented in previous literature. However, there is limited research investigating the role of cortisol reactivity in daily stress-eating associations in samples of adolescents and young adults. 123 participants completed a baseline questionnaire and the Trier Social Stress Test in groups. Four saliva samples were taken at - 10, + 00, + 10 and + 40 min during the stress-induction task. Following this, participants completed an online daily diary each evening for 14 consecutive days to record daily stress and between-meal snack consumption. Multilevel modelling indicated that daily stress was positively associated with daily snack intake, particularly for ego-threatening and work/academic stressors. Emotional and external eating styles were found to moderate the stress-snacking relationship. Cortisol reactivity also moderated stress-eating associations, such that as cortisol reactivity levels increased from lower to higher levels, the impact of stress on eating decreased. The current findings highlight the importance of cortisol reactivity status and eating styles in understanding the complex relationship between daily stress and eating behavior in adolescents and young adults. Future research should continue investigating stress-eating associations in these groups and explore the role of other aspects of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning.

A systematic review of the association of diet quality with the mental health of university students: implications in health education practice

University students are at risk of experiencing mental health problems during the transition from home to university. This transition can also adversely affect their diet quality. This review aims to examine bidirectional associations from observational studies regarding the influence of diet quality on the mental health of university students, and vice versa. The databases PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, The Cochrane Library and Web of Science were searched using relevant search terms. The searches were last updated on 15 July 2022. Majority of studies (36 out of 45) found that good diet quality of students was associated with better mental health in terms of depression, anxiety, stress and overall general mental well-being. Moreover, majority of studies (19 out of 23) found that stress and anxiety of students were associated with poorer diet quality. The effect sizes observed were generally small-moderate. Healthy diets of students have been associated with better mental health in terms of depression, anxiety, stress or other mental health issues. Stress experienced by university students has been associated with unhealthy diets. There are implications for health education research, as interventions to improve diet quality at the university level could reduce mental health issues; additionally, interventions to support students under stress may lead to healthier dietary habits when living on campuses. Randomized controlled trials and intervention studies are needed to further investigate these implications.

Positive and negative psychosocial factors related to healthy and unhealthy weight control among nursing students

BACKGROUND

Although nursing students are educated on the importance of exercising regularly and maintaining a well-balanced diet, many do not practice healthy weight management behaviors, and some even use unhealthy weight loss methods. Yet, little research has examined both positive and negative psychosocial variables related to weight control among nursing students.

PURPOSE

The present study aimed to identify the most salient psychosocial variables related to healthy and unhealthy weight control among nursing students.

METHOD

Using survey data from 241 nursing students, structural equation modeling was conducted to examine the relative contributions of eight interrelated psychosocial variables, including constructs from a strengths perspective (health-specific hope, health self-efficacy, social support, and body satisfaction) and from a deficit perspective (depression, anxiety, weight perception, and barriers to physical activity).

RESULTS

Results showed that the degree to which individuals perceive themselves to be overweight was related to both healthy and unhealthy weight control. Aside from weight perception, health self-efficacy produced the strongest association with healthy weight control, and anxiety produced the strongest association with unhealthy weight control. The structural model explained 23 % of the variance in healthy weight control and 29 % of the variance in unhealthy weight control.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings emphasize the need for tailored, integrated weight management interventions for nursing students that equip them with effective anxiety management skills and build self-efficacy.

Patterns of Physical Activity Among University Students and Their Perceptions About the Curricular Content Concerned With Health: Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND

University students are at risk of losing their focus on maintaining healthy levels of physical activity because of their engagements with curricular and cocurricular activities. In India, the physical activity levels of the adult population have been reported to be declining in the recent years. However, studies focusing on university students pertaining to their physical activity are lacking in the Indian context. Moreover, a question that has not been properly addressed is the following: "do the curricula in higher education promote physical activity?"

OBJECTIVE

Our paper aims at describing the physical activity levels of the students in a large public-funded central university located in northern India. The study also aims at capturing the student perceptions about the emphasis they receive on leading a physically active lifestyle during their routine curricular activities.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional descriptive study and uses International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Long Form to record physical activity among 4586 students. Stratified sampling method was used to enroll the students from each stream (faculty). Out of 30,667 students, about 15% were included from each faculty. The study was conducted between 2016 and 2019. To capture the student perceptions, we used a newly developed 5-item scale.

RESULTS

From a total of 4586 participants in the study, 2828 (61.7%) were male and 1758 (38.3%) were female students. The mean age of our sample was 22.34 (SD 3.12) years. Our results indicate that about 14.5% (n=666) of all students in the study fall under the "Inactive" category. Furthermore, the perception about the curricular content pertaining to physical activity varied widely between the students of different streams.

CONCLUSIONS

Our sample reported a better physical activity pattern in comparison to the reported overall physical activity levels of the adult population of India. Our results also suggest that health-related topics are inadequately represented in many of the streams of higher education in the university.

Coping styles moderate the relationship between perceived discrimination and eating behaviors during the transition to college

The transition to college is a critical developmental window during which eating behaviors are susceptible to dysregulation. Changes in exposure to discrimination contribute to alterations in eating behaviors, which may be exacerbated or attenuated by coping styles. The present longitudinal study examines whether increases in perceived discrimination predict increases in overeating and decreases in eating well during the transition to college. We expect that adaptive coping styles will buffer against, while maladaptive coping styles will exacerbate, the effects of increases in perceived discrimination on increases in overeating and decreases in eating well. First year students (n = 804) were assessed at two time points: the spring before freshman year (Time 1) and one year later during the spring semester of freshman year (Time 2). Two distinct coping styles emerged from a factor analysis: adaptive (active coping, planning, emotional support, positive reframing, acceptance, instrumental support) and maladaptive coping (denial, venting, self-blame, self-distraction). Increases in perceived discrimination, lower adaptive coping, and higher maladaptive coping had main effects for predicting more overeating at Time 2. Among students who reported increases in perceived discrimination, higher use of adaptive coping was associated with less overeating at Time 2 while higher use of maladaptive coping was associated with more overeating. While adaptive and maladaptive coping styles had main effects on eating well, change in perceived discrimination did not. Neither adaptive nor maladaptive coping styles interacted with change in perceived discrimination to predict eating well. Findings inform a gap in the literature about the relationship between discrimination and eating behaviors from a developmental perspective by demonstrating that adaptive and maladaptive coping styles influence the effects of changes in perceived discrimination on overeating during the college transition.

Physical activity information seeking among emerging adults attending university

Objective To assess preferred sources of information for seeking physical activity (PA), and how PA information seeking may contribute to participation in a campus PA program. Participants: Students attending a large, Western Canadian university between April 2015 and April 2018. Methods: Secondary analysis of an annual campus-wide survey. Results: Students sought PA information for general health. Females sought information about weight loss for appearances; males sought information for muscle gain for appearance. Internet and friends were primary sources of PA information. Regression analysis indicated females 2.49 (95% CI 1.98-3.13), domestic students 2.86, 95% CI (2.04-4.02), and first year students 24.88, 95% CI (18.12-34.17) were most likely to participate in a campus PA program. Only health reasons significantly contributed to participation 1.42, 95% CI (1.06-1.89). Conclusions: Emerging adults attending university may benefit from PA promotion that makes use of their preferred information sources.

The Use of Self-Help Strategies in Obesity Treatment. A Narrative Review Focused on Hypnosis and Mindfulness

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The aim of this narrative review was to summarize the evidence evaluating the possibilities and limitations of self-hypnosis and mindfulness strategies in the treatment of obesity.

RECENT FINDINGS

Psychological factors, such as mood disorders and stress, can affect eating behaviors and deeply influence weight gain. Psychological approaches to weight management could increase the motivation and self-control of the patients with obesity, limiting their impulsiveness and inappropriate use of food. The cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) represents the cornerstone of obesity treatment, but complementary and self-directed psychological interventions, such as hypnosis and mindfulness, could represent additional strategies to increase the effectiveness of weight loss programs, by improving dysfunctional eating behaviors, self-motivation, and stimulus control. Both hypnosis and mindfulness provide a promising therapeutic option by improving weight loss, food awareness, self-acceptance of body image, and limiting food cravings and emotional eating. Greater effectiveness occurs when hypnosis and mindfulness are associated with other psychological therapies in addition to diet and physical activity. Additional research is needed to determine whether these strategies are effective in the long term and whether they can be routinely introduced into the clinical practice.

Sex and Racial Differences in Patterns of Disordered Eating and Alcohol Use

The present study aimed to determine how young adults' use of disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) and alcohol uniquely cluster with one another, how these clusters differ by sex and race, and map onto health-related correlates. As a part of a cross-sectional study assessing college student health and experiences, female (n = 1,026), male (n = 336), White (n = 640), and Black (n = 561) young adult college students at three universities (M_age = 20.54, SD = 1.80) completed measures assessing DEBs and alcohol use, and physical and mental health. Multigroup mixture modeling was used to identify subgroups of female, male, White, and Black young adults that are characterized by different levels of DEBs (fasting, food avoidance, loss of control eating, overeating) and alcohol use (binge drinking, drinking quantity). Whether group membership relates to theoretically and clinically relevant health correlates (stress, depressive symptoms, sleep health) was examined via auxiliary analyses. Qualitative and quantitative differences were identified in the best-fitting mixture models for female (four groups), male (four groups), White (five groups), and Black (three groups) participants that suggest sex and racial variations exist in patterns of DEBs and alcohol use severity. Generally, classification in groups characterized by moderate to high probabilities of DEBs only, or the combination of moderate to high DEBs and alcohol use, was associated with worse affective concerns across sexes and races. Targeting young adults' DEBs and alcohol use via diversity-informed treatments focused on coping skill development may help promote health and well-being.

Experiences with and Perception of a Web-Based Mindfulness, Nutrition, and Fitness Platform Reported by First-Year University Students: A Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND

My Viva Plan (MVP) (https://www.myvivainc.com/) is a web-based application developed by a dietitian that aims to support healthy living by providing resources and self-monitoring tools to help promote a healthy diet, healthy mind, and physical fitness. First-year university students have the potential to benefit because poor dietary choices, limited physical activity, and high stress are prevalent in this population. In addition, they are also active technology users.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to understand experiences and perception of MVP by first-year university students using this tool as part of a 12-week randomized controlled trial.

DESIGN

One-on-one semistructured interviews were conducted following a 12-week intervention involving use of MVP.

PARTICIPANTS/SETTING

First-year university students from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada (n = 32).

INTERVENTION

Participants were instructed to use MVP as much as possible for 12 weeks in either the fall/2018 or winter/2019 semesters.

QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS

Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed abductively using content analysis.

RESULTS

Participants reported varied use of MVP across the 12-week period. Data were categorized using the HealthChange Methodology (Behaviors, Emotions, 37 Situations, Thinking) framework. Participants provided various examples of emotions (eg, motivation, stress), situations (eg, time, living arrangements, finances), and thinking (eg, self-awareness, level of satisfaction with MVP, and how MVP was or could be better tailored for students) that acted as either facilitators or barriers to MVP use and explained their behaviors associated with this tool.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, participant behaviors regarding MVP varied and were influenced by several factors, including their emotions, situations, and thinking. The Behaviors, Emotions, Situations, Thinking framework may be helpful for dietitians to identify barriers and facilitators affecting their client's use of ehealth tools for lifestyle behavior change. This information can be used to optimize client support when using these tools.

Stress and eating behaviours in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Stress leads to detrimental health outcomes through direct biological and indirect behavioural changes. Stress can lead to disruption to normal eating behaviours, although the strength of these associations is unknown. This is the first meta-analysis to determine the strength of the stress-eating relationship in healthy adults and to explore the impact of potential moderators. Studies included had a clearly defined measure of stress (i.e., any noxious event or episode in one's environment with the exclusion of emotional distress) that was linked to non-disordered eating. Key terms were searched in Medline, PsycInfo and Ovid databases (23,104 studies identified). 54 studies (combined N = 119,820) were retained in the meta-analysis. A small, positive effect size was found for the stress-overall food intake relationship (Hedges' g = 0.114). Stress was associated with increased consumption of unhealthy foods (Hedges' g = 0.116) but decreased consumption of healthy foods (Hedges' g = -0.111). Only one significant moderator (restraint on stress-unhealthy eating) was identified. This meta-analysis identified the magnitude of the effect of stress on eating behaviour outcomes. Significant heterogeneity was observed that was not explained by the moderators examined. Further research on moderators of the stress-eating relationship is required and should distinguish effects for healthy versus unhealthy eating.

Protocol for the Mason: Health Starts Here prospective cohort study of young adult college students

BACKGROUND

Young adulthood is a period of increasing independence for the 40% of young adults enrolled in U.S. colleges. Previous research indicates differences in how students' health behaviors develop and vary by gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. George Mason University is a state institution that enrolls a highly diverse student population, making it an ideal setting to launch a longitudinal cohort study using multiple research methods to evaluate the effects of health behaviors on physical and psychological functioning, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESULTS

Mason: Health Starts Here was developed as a longitudinal cohort study of successive waves of first year students that aims to improve understanding of the natural history and determinants of young adults' physical health, mental health, and their role in college completion. The study recruits first year students who are 18 to 24 years old and able to read and understand English. All incoming first year students are recruited through various methods to participate in a longitudinal cohort for 4 years. Data collection occurs in fall and spring semesters, with online surveys conducted in both semesters and in-person clinic visits conducted in the fall. Students receive physical examinations during clinic visits and provide biospecimens (blood and saliva).

CONCLUSIONS

The study will produce new knowledge to help understand the development of health-related behaviors during young adulthood. A long-term goal of the cohort study is to support the design of effective, low-cost interventions to encourage young adults' consistent performance of healthful behaviors, improve their mental health, and improve academic performance.

Prevalence of negative emotional eating and its associated psychosocial factors among urban Chinese undergraduates in Hong Kong: a cross-sectional study

Background

Emotional eating (EE), defined as eating in response to a range of emotions, has been previously associated with poor diet and obesity. Since there are limited data from non-Western populations, this study aims to examine the prevalence and factors associated with EE among urban Chinese university students.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 424 university students (aged 18–24 years) from two large universities in Hong Kong in 2019. Respondents completed an anonymous online questionnaire that contained background questions, an emotional eating subscale of the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ), and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21). Two-sample independent t-test and multiple regression analyses were conducted to test the association of study variables with negative emotional eating.

Results

There was over a three-fold higher likelihood of negative EE among females (14.8%) when compared with their male counterparts (4.5%) (OR = 3.7, p < 0.05). Having at least mild depressive symptoms was the only independent factor associated with negative EE among males (OR = 10.1) while for females, negative EE was independently associated with not having a romantic partner (OR = 3.45), having depressive symptoms (OR = 44.5), and having at least mild stress (OR = 5.65). Anxiety levels were not independently associated with negative EE for either gender. Both male and female students with negative EE had significantly lower self-perceived health scores, higher body mass index, and lower life satisfaction scores.

Conclusions

This study revealed that negative EE is prevalent among female Chinese university students and not uncommon among male students. Management of negative EE should be included as a component of university mental health promotion programmes in the region.

Mindful Eating Mobile Health Apps: Review and Appraisal

BACKGROUND

Mindful eating is an emerging area of research for managing unhealthy eating and weight-related behaviors such as binge eating and emotional eating. Although there are numerous commercial mindful eating apps available, their quality, effectiveness, and whether they are accurately based on mindfulness-based eating awareness are unknown.

OBJECTIVE

This review aimed to appraise the quality of the mindful eating apps and to appraise the quality of content on mindful eating apps.

METHODS

A review of mindful eating apps available on Apple iTunes was undertaken from March to April 2018. Relevant apps meeting the inclusion criteria were subjectively appraised for general app quality using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) guidelines and for the quality of content on mindful eating. A total of 22 apps met the inclusion criteria and were appraised.

RESULTS

Many of the reviewed apps were assessed as functional and had moderate scores in aesthetics based on the criteria in the MARS assessment. However, some received lower scores in the domains of information and engagement. The majority of the apps did not teach users how to eat mindfully using all five senses. Hence, they were scored as incomplete in accurately providing mindfulness-based eating awareness. Instead, most apps were either eating timers, hunger rating apps, or diaries. Areas of potential improvement were in comprehensiveness and diversity of media, in the quantity and quality of information, and in the inclusion of privacy and security policies. To truly teach mindful eating, the apps need to provide guided examples involving the five senses beyond simply timing eating or writing in a diary. They also need to include eating meditations to assist people with their disordered eating such as binge eating, fullness, satiety, and craving meditations that may help them with coping when experiencing difficulties. They should also have engaging and entertaining features delivered through diverse media to ensure sustained use and interest by consumers.

CONCLUSIONS

Future mindful eating apps could be improved by accurate adherence to mindful eating. Further improvement could be achieved by ameliorating the domains of information, engagement, and aesthetics and having adequate privacy policies.