Is level of anxiety associated with overweight and obesity risk in university students? The NUTSAU Study

Introduction: effective ways of overcoming overweight may depend, in part, on the ability to identify mood disorders (anxiety is most prevalent) and their association with overeating and weight gain. The use of anthropometric indicators for such purposes can inform individual strategies for intervention before obesity sets in. Objective: to verify the association between anxiety and anthropometric indicators in university students. Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted in 147 undergraduates across all programmes taught by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) at Macaé. A self-assessment questionnaire was administered in order to gather socioeconomic, lifestyle, and anxiety data. Anxiety status was estimated based on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and interpreted based on the median of scores (p ≥ 50). An anthropometric assessment was conducted to measure the subjects' body mass, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC). Body fat percentage (%BF) data were obtained using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). The data were then analyzed using the chi-square and logistic regression tests, with a 0.05 significance level. For analysis purposes, anxiety was defined as the exposure variable in the present study, and anthropometric indicators as the outcomes. Results: the students with an anxiety state p ≥ 50 presented an odds ratio (OR) of 2.69 for being overweight (p = 0.02), as well as an OR of 2.77 for having high BF (p = 0.02) in the adjusted models. Conclusion: a higher level of anxiety is associated with anthropometric indicators among university students, specifically for overweight or obesity and high BF percentages.