Perceived stress, eating behavior, and overweight and obesity among urban adolescents

Abstract Background WHO estimated 20% of adolescents (10–19 years) have mental health problems. We examined the prevalence and associated risk predictors of overweight/obesity and perceived stress using eating behaviors and physical activity among school-and-college-going urban adolescents in Bangladesh. Methods A cross-sectional study with a multistage sampling technique was employed to select 4609 adolescent students, aged 13–19 years, from all eight Bangladesh divisions during January–June 2019. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire containing Turconi Physical Activity Questionnaire (PAQ), Adolescent Stress Questionnaire (ASQ), Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), and Anthropometric measurements. Logistic regression and different association measures assessed relationships among adolescent characteristics. Results The major 61.5% of adolescents were in moderate-to-extremely-severe levels of stress, 28.2% were overweight/obese, only 2.7% had a very active lifestyle, and 30.5% had a sedentary lifestyle. Perceived stress was positively and significantly correlated with eating behaviors and body mass index, whereas physical activity was significantly associated with the prevalence of overweight/obesity and high stress. The prevalence of overweight/obesity (53.8%) and high stress (52.5%) was higher in males. Adolescents’ obesity was 2.212 times more likely who had a sedentary lifestyle (95% CI 1.377–3.552), 1.13 times more likely for those who had experienced stress due to school/leisure conflict (95% CI 1.051–1.222), and 1.634 times more likely for those who were tempted by restrained eating behavior (95% CI 1.495–1.786). Conclusion Stress on secondary school-and-college-going students needs to be recognized, and strategies need to be developed to improve adolescents’ mental health.

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Changes in mental health during three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic: a repeated cross-sectional study among polish university students

BMC Psychiatry ◽

10.1186/s12888-021-03615-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Aleksandra M. Rogowska ◽

Dominika Ochnik ◽

Cezary Kuśnierz ◽

Karolina Chilicka ◽

Monika Jakubiak ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

University Students ◽

Physical Health ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

High Stress ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional

Abstract Background Research indicates that mental health worsened during the Coronavirus crisis, in particular among women and university students. However, few longitudinal studies have so far investigated the changes in mental health outcomes across three subsequent waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study aims to examine changes in mental health among university students. Methods A total of 1,961university students from Poland, at mean age 23.23 years (SD = 3.16, 57.47% of women) were included in this repeated cross-sectional study across three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic: W1 (n = 657), W2 (n = 654), and W3 (n = 650). They completed the online survey with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), General Self-Rated Health (GSRH), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), as well as sociodemographic variables. Results The prevalence of people at high risk of anxiety and perceived stress, poorer physical health, and low life satisfaction changed significantly across three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the two-way ANOVA showed that both the wave (W1<W2<W3) and gender (men<women) had a significant impact on the level of anxiety. Statistically significant changes in perceived stress were found between pandemic waves (W1>W2, W1>W3), and genders (men<women). Self-reported physical health significantly deteriorated in W3 compared to W1 and W2 (W1>W3, W2>W3), and was significantly worse in women than in men. The level of life satisfaction also decreased significantly in W3 (W1>W3, W2>W3), but did not differ between men and women. High GAD risk was presented two times more frequently among women and people who subjectively assessed their health as poor, three times more likely in participants dissatisfied with their lives, and seven times more probably in persons with high-stress levels. Conclusions The results of this study consistently indicate (using parametric and non-parametric statistical analysis) that there are significant differences in mental health problems across three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. It suggests that pandemic waves should be considered in future review studies and meta-analyses. Furthermore, these findings indicate a potential role for prevention and intervention programs aimed at alleviating life satisfaction and subjective assessment of health and improving coping skills to reduce stress and anxiety.

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Mental health benefits from lifestyle physical activity interventions: A systematic review

Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic ◽

10.1521/bumc.2020.84.4.337 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 84 (4) ◽

pp. 337-372

Author(s):

Samantha G. Farris ◽

Ana M. Abrantes

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Health Problems ◽

Mental Health Outcomes ◽

Promising Alternative ◽

Lifestyle Physical Activity

Lifestyle physical activity (LPA) interventions are a promising alternative to structured exercise interventions for addressing mental health problems. The authors conducted a systematic review of the literature on LPA interventions in any population in order to determine (a) the extent to which mental health outcomes were examined and (b) whether benefits in mental health outcomes were observed. Mental health outcomes were defined as depression, anxiety, perceived stress, health-related quality of life, and psychological well-being. A total of 73 articles were identified as LPA intervention, of which 24.7% (n = 18) reported the effect of LPA intervention on mental health outcomes. The most commonly evaluated mental health outcome was depression, and to a lesser extent anxiety and perceived stress. Overall, findings point to promising effects of LPA interventions across common mental health problems. Key areas for future research are discussed in light of emergent limitations in existing published studies.

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Determining the Utility of a Laboratory Eating Paradigm to Explore Social Eating

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/1541931213601263 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 60 (1) ◽

pp. 1120-1124

Author(s):

Phillip Jasper ◽

Adam Hoover ◽

Eric Muth

Keyword(s):

Eating Behavior ◽

Healthy Eating ◽

Eating Behaviors ◽

The United States ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Subjective Ratings ◽

Health And Nutrition ◽

Consumption Rates ◽

Social Eating ◽

University Laboratory

According to a recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, overweight and obesity have reached epidemic levels in the United States. Researchers are increasingly engaged in exploring eating behavior with the goals of trying to understand what elements of eating behavior might lead to overweight and obesity and applying knowledge from these studies to encourage people to engage in healthy eating behaviors. The purpose of the current study was to determine the utility of a new laboratory eating paradigm that attempts to create a natural social eating environment while maintaining the control possible within a university laboratory. Known effects of gender on eating behavior (e.g. consumption rates and bite size), positive subjective ratings of the food item used, and subjective ratings of perceived eating behavior were replicated to show the utility of the paradigm.

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Vigorous physical activity, perceived stress, sleep and mental health among university students from 23 low- and middle-income countries

International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health ◽

10.1515/ijamh-2017-0116 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Supa Pengpid ◽

Karl Peltzer

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

University Students ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

Well Being ◽

Good Health ◽

Short Version ◽

Cross Sectional

AbstractBackgroundVigorous physical activity (VPA) may be beneficial for mental health. The aim of the study was to investigate cross-sectional associations between VPA, perceived stress, sleep quality and quantity and mental health among university students.MethodsIn a cross-sectional study, using anonymous questionnaires, data was collected from 15122 (42.1% male and 57.9% female) university students [mean age 20.6, standard deviation (SD) = 2.0] from 23 countries in the Americas, Africa and Asia. They were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (short version), and measures of sociodemographic, health status, health behaviour and anthropometrics.ResultsStudents who met VPA recommendations were less likely to report perceived stress, more likely to report subjective good health and depression than students without VPA. There was no association between VPA and sleep quality and quantity and PTSD symptoms.ConclusionThis study only found partial benefits of VPA in relation to well-being of university students.

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Vigorous Physical Activity, Mental Health, Perceived Stress, and Socializing among College Students

American Journal of Health Promotion ◽

10.4278/ajhp.111101-quan-395 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 7-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 82

Author(s):

Nicole A. VanKim ◽

Toben F. Nelson

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

College Students ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity

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Physical Activity, Eating Behaviour and Well-Being During a COVID-19 Period Among Greek Adolescents

10.20944/preprints202103.0495.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ioannis D. Morres ◽

Evangelos Galanis ◽

Antonis Hatzigeorgiadis ◽

Odysseas Androutsos ◽

Yannis Theodorakis

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Eating Behavior ◽

Eating Behaviors ◽

Eating Behaviour ◽

Well Being ◽

Hierarchical Regression ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Healthy Eating Behavior ◽

Sport Activities ◽

Insufficient Physical Activity

Adolescents’ daily life has dramatically changed during the COVID-19 era due to the social restrictions that have been imposed, including closures of schools, leisure centers and sport facilities. The purpose of this study was to examine levels of well-being and mood and their relations with physical (in)-activity and eating behaviors in adolescents during a lockdown period in Greece. A total of 950 adolescents (Mean Age = 14.41years ± 1.63) participated in a web-based survey while education was online and organized sport activities were interrupted. Participants showed poor well-being, insufficient physical activity levels and moderate scores of healthy eating behavior. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that, after controlling for the effect of gender and body mass index, increased physical activity and healthier eating behavior predicted better well-being, whereas sedentariness predicted worse well-being. Furthermore, it was revealed that days of physical activity per week was a stronger predictor of well-being than minutes of physical activity per week, and that both in-house and out-of-house physical activity were beneficial. Considering that well-being was below the threshold recommended by the WHO as indicative of possible depressive symptoms, measures to increase physical activity and improve eating behavior should become a priority for communities and policy makers.

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Independent and Combined Associations of Physical Activity, Sedentary Time, and Activity Intensities With Perceived Stress Among University Students: Internet-Based Cross-Sectional Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.20119 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Shu Ling Tan ◽

Malte Jetzke ◽

Vera Vergeld ◽

Carsten Müller

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

University Students ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Sedentary Time ◽

Physical Activities ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Perceived Stress Scale ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Stress Scale

BACKGROUND Mental health is an emerging topic on university campuses, with students reporting higher levels of psychological distress than the general population of the same age. Increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary time have been proved promising measures to promote mental health in the general population. However, to derive and implement effective measures to promote mental health among university students, further exploration of the associations between physical activity, sedentary time, and perceived stress in this specific setting is needed. OBJECTIVE This study aims to identify associations between physical activity, sedentary time, and perceived stress after controlling for sociodemographic and behavioral variables among university students in Germany. We hypothesize that perceived stress is inversely related to physical activity and positively associated with sedentary time. Furthermore, we hypothesize that combined associations of concurrently high physical activity and low sedentary time on perceived stress are stronger compared with either alone and that the association between physical activity and perceived stress depends on activity intensity. METHODS We conducted cross-sectional analyses from a large-scale internet-based student health survey (n=4189; response rate=10.0%). Physical activity, sedentary time, and engaging in moderate and vigorous activity intensities were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form with categorization into low, intermediate, and high levels. We measured perceived stress using the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (range 0-40). RESULTS The results indicate that higher physical activity and lower sedentary time are associated with reduced levels of perceived stress. Following adjustment for gender, BMI, income, fruit and vegetable intake, alcohol consumption, and sleep quality, perceived stress scores were lower for students reporting high physical activity levels and low sedentary time compared with the least active and highly sedentary students (Perceived Stress Scale –2.2, 95% CI –2.9 to –1.5, P<.001 for physical activity and –1.1, CI 95% –1.7 to –0.5, P<.001 for sedentary time). Combined associations with perceived stress revealed that students concurrently reporting high total physical activity and low sedentary time reported the lowest perceived stress scores of all possible combinations following adjustment for confounders (Perceived Stress Scale –3.5, CI 95% –4.6 to –2.5, P<.001 compared with students reporting low physical activity levels and concurrently high sedentary time). Associations between vigorous physical activities and perceived stress were not stronger compared with moderate activity intensities. CONCLUSIONS Self-reported physical activity and low sedentary time are favorably associated with perceived stress, while the intensity of physical activities seems to be of minor importance. These results help to effectively implement health-promoting measures on campus among university students through increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary time.

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The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on US College Students’ Physical Activity and Mental Health

Journal of Physical Activity and Health ◽

10.1123/jpah.2020-0325 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 272-278 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Oliver W.A. Wilson ◽

Kelsey E. Holland ◽

Lucas D. Elliott ◽

Michele Duffey ◽

Melissa Bopp

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

College Students ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Online Survey ◽

Well Being ◽

Significant Decline ◽

Spring Semester ◽

The Impact

Background: Investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on both physical activity (PA) and mental health is important to demonstrate the need for interventions. This study examined the apparent impact of the pandemic on college students’ PA, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms. Methods: From 2015 through 2020, data were collected at the beginning and end of the spring semester at a large Northeastern US university via an online survey assessing student demographics, PA, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms. Mixed ANOVA examined differences in PA and mental health changes over the spring semester between “normal” and COVID-19 circumstances. Two-way ANOVA examined the interaction between circumstance and changes in PA in relation to changes in mental health. Results: Participants (n = 1019) were predominately women and non-Hispanic white. There was a significant decline in PA and an increase in perceived stress under COVID-19, but not normal, circumstances and a significant increase in depressive symptoms under COVID-19, but not normal, circumstances among women. Conclusions: A significant decline in PA and mental health among college students occurred under COVID-19 circumstances, and PA did not appear to protect against deterioration in mental health. Proactive and innovative policies, programs, and practices to promote student health and well-being must be explored immediately.

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SELF-ESTEEM OF THE EATING BEHAVIOR BY THE STUDENT PHARMACEUTICAL YOUTH FROM THE VIEW OFTHE EXCESS BODY WEIGHT AND OBESITY

Wiadomości Lekarskie ◽

10.36740/wlek202107122 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 74 (7) ◽

pp. 1680-1686

Author(s):

Liana M. Unhurian ◽

Bohdan P. Hromovyk ◽

Oksana R. Levytska ◽

Oksana I. Bielyaieva ◽

Olena O. Aleksandrova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Body Weight ◽

Eating Behavior ◽

Sedentary Lifestyle ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Practical Implementation ◽

Excess Body Weight ◽

Anonymous Questionnaire ◽

Poor Nutrition

The aim: The purpose of the research is to study the understanding of student pharmaceutical youth the eating behavior in the context of the EBW and obesity. Materials and methods: The material of the study was anonymous questionnaire survey the students of the pharmaceutical faculties from Ukraine. Results: The results of the questionnaire were analyzed using methods of statistics, comparison and generalization. Almost 9 out of 10 respondents from both universities consider the reason of obesity a sedentary lifestyle and poor nutrition, and the most effective way to treat it is physical activity, though only 36.3% and 28.4% of students of the corresponding samples have it constantly. Conclusions: The questionnaire showed a lack of eating behavior, of their knowledge of the basic issues of the EBW and obesity, as well as differences in personal perception and the desire for the practical implementation of queries regarding the weight of their body that may further affect the professional ability of young specialists in influencing the processes of formation and improving the quality of their lives and patients’ lives.

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The unswallowed pill: physical activity

Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism ◽

10.1139/h06-062 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 305-306 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Pascal Imbeault

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Food Intake ◽

Sedentary Lifestyle ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Paper Briefly

Sedentary lifestyle, excessive food intake, and consequent overweight and obesity markedly increase the risk of developing some cancers, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. This paper briefly summarizes the beneficial impacts of physical activity in protecting against the development of these diseases.

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