Objectives:
Literature suggests that female college students experience high levels of stress, and that vigorous activity may reduce said stress. This study aims to examine the relationship between reported vigorous aerobic activity and perceived stress scores (PSS) among female college students with overweight or obesity.
Methods:
Cross-sectional data were collected from the College Health and Nutrition Assessment Survey from 2012-2020. Measured height and weight were used to calculate BMI (kg/m2) and categorize students as having overweight/obesity (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. This scale is scored 0-40 with 40 being the highest level of perceived stress. Mean differences between groups were examined via ANCOVA using age and major as covariates.
Results:
A total of n=622 students 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%). 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. Perceived stress scores were negatively related to # of vigorous activity days (p<0.001). Those who participated in no days of vigorous activity had a higher PSS than those who participated in 2 days or 3 or more days (19.7±0.6 vs. 17.0±0.7 and 16.3±0.4, respectively, p<0.01).
Conclusions:
Findings suggest engaging in multiple 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 support the mental health of students.
Funding Sources:
The NH Agriculture Experiment Station and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Project 1010738.
