Title:

The relationship between physical activity habits and perceived stress in sexual minority college students.

The relationship between physical activity habits and perceived stress in sexual minority college students. Objectives: To explore the relationship between physical activity (PA) and perceived stress in sexual minority (SM) college students, as well as investigate the differences in exercise habits between SM and heterosexual (HS) college students. Methods: Data (n = 2115) were collected between 2015-21 from the College Health and Nutrition Assessment Survey, an ongoing, cross-sectional study conducted at a public, northeastern university. Data were collected using in-person measures (anthropometrics, biochemical, and clinical) and online surveys (Qualtrics). After exclusion of participants with missing data, case-control matching was done using a 2:1 ratio matching for gender and age (SM, n=84; HS, n=168). PA was self-reported as 0, 15, 30, 45 or, > 45 min/day. Reported days/wk of moderate PA and strength training were compared between groups. Perceived stress scores (PSS) were calculated from a validated questionnaire included in the online survey. Spearman’s correlation was used to investigate the association between physical activity and PSS in SM and HS group and in the heterosexual group. Group differences were examined using ANCOVA, with age, gender, first year, and Pell Grant status serving as covariates. Results: The American College of Sports Medicine PA guidelines were met by 49.4% HS and 28.6% SM groups (p<0.05). Strength training guidelines were met by 60.8% HS and 57.3% SM groups (p<0.05). Goals of weight loss, weight maintenance, and muscle toning were the most common exercise goals for both groups (SM=60.0%, 56.5%, 48.9%; HS=58.3%, 62.5%, 64.6%). PA and PSS were not correlated in either group (SM, r=0.12, p=0.26; HS, r=0.03, p=0.69). PSS was found to be higher in HS group than SM group (26.69±2.82, 22.77±5.74, respectively p<0.001). Conclusions: Our findings show that SM college students may be less likely to be meeting the guidelines for PA, however, we did not observe a relationship between self-reported activity and perceived stress among college students. This information extends our knowledge of SM students’ exercise behaviors. Funding Sources: New Hampshire Agriculture Experiment Station and USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Project 1010738.

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