Cheng CHE, Thomas Tobin CS, Weiss JW. Psychological distress, social context, and gender patterns in obesity among a multiethnic sample of U.S. college students.
JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH : J OF ACH 2022;
70:1615-1623. [PMID:
33048648 DOI:
10.1080/07448481.2020.1817032]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2019] [Revised: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Objective: The growing prevalence of obesity among college students is a major public health issue, as over one-third are overweight or obese. This study used gender-stratified multivariate analyses to examine psychological distress and social contextual factors as key determinants of obesity. Participants: Students of a large public university in Southern California (N = 2392). Methods: In-class survey administered across various departments and general education courses. Results: Among females, distress (OR = 1.02) and sophomores (OR = 1.87) were associated with increased odds of obesity; Greek life (OR = 0.53) was associated with decreased odds of obesity. Among males, distress was not associated with obesity (OR = 1.00); financial strain (OR = 1.16) was associated with increased odds of obesity. Conclusions: There are gendered patterns in obesity risk with social context having potentially protective effects among women. Enhancing psychological wellbeing as well as creating gender- and context-specific interventions may be an effective strategy to address the rising rates of obesity among the college population.
Collapse