Vigorous Activity and Perceived Stress in Overweight or Obese Female Students

Abstract

ObjectivesTo examine the relationship between reported vigorous aerobic exercise and perceived stress scores (PSS) among female college students with overweight or obesity. MethodsCross-sectional data were collected between 2012–2020 from the College Health and Nutrition Assessment Survey, an ongoing study at a public northeastern university. Measured height and weight by trained technicians were used to calculate BMI (kg/m2) and categorize students as overweight/obese (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2). Students completed Cohen’s 10-item Perceived Stress Scale and self-reported vigorous physical activity (days/past week) via online (Qualtrics) questionnaire. Mean differences between activity groups were examined via ANCOVA; age, major and taking anxiety medication served as covariates. ResultsA total of n = 622 female students with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 were included for analyses. Participants had a mean age of 18.8 ± 0.4 years and BMI of 28.1 ± 0.1 kg/m2. Most (95.1%) participants were white, and first year students made up the largest group (55.4%) of participants. Almost 1 in 5 students (17.8%) reported no days of vigorous activity, 15.3% reported one day, 12.8% reported 2 days, and 54% reported 3 or more days of vigorous activity. PSS scores were negatively related to # of vigorous activity days (P < 0.001). Those who reported no days of vigorous activity had higher perceived stress scores than those who participated in 2 days or 3 or more days of vigorous activity (19.7 ± 0.6 vs. 17.0 ± 0.7 and 16.3 ± 0.4, respectively, P < 0.01). ConclusionsFindings suggest engaging in increasing days of vigorous activity is related to lower perceived stress in female college students with overweight or obesity. These findings support the inclusion of physical activity recommendations to broadly support the health and wellness of university students. Funding SourcesThe New Hampshire Agriculture Experiment Station and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Project.