Background and Hypothesis: Obesity and obesity-related health conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes mellitus, rates have been increasing in the US over the past several decades. Diet and exercise are well-researched, modifiable factors to help someone lose weight. However, an aspect of weight control often overlooked is the impact of stress. Increased stress has been associated with increased BMI and can lead to higher engagement of poor-health behaviors, such as less exercise and overeating. This study aimed to look at the impact self-reported, or perceived, stress has on an individual’s weight and determine which, if any, unhealthy behaviors are the most associated. We hypothesized that those with higher perceived stress scores will have a higher BMI because people tend to have poorer health-related behaviors when stress is higher.
Methods: An anonymous self-reported survey was distributed in person and via recruitment posters at the outpatient family medicine offices of Rowan Family Medicine in Southern New Jersey. The survey included the verified 10-question Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), as well as questions regarding health-related behaviors. Correlations were analyzed using SPSS.
Results: Fifty participants, ages 20-74, 69% female, completed the survey. Increased PSS was significantly correlated with increased BMI (p=0.030). Amount of sleep per night did not affect PSS or BMI (p=0.119; p=0.051). PSS was significantly correlated with overeating when stressed and feeling out of control with eating when stressed (p < 0.001; p=0.008). There was no significant correlation between BMI alone and any of the eating behaviors addressed by the survey (p=0.859; p=0.113; p=0.169; p=0.110; p=0.311). There was no significant relationship between PSS or BMI with difficulty increasing exercise to lose weight (p=0.083; p=0.963).
Conclusion: Self-reported stress is positively associated with having higher BMIs. Eating behaviors leading to increased stress are the largest health-related behavior that contributes to this.
Acknowledgement of Research Study Sponsors and IRB: The authors thank Rowan Family Medicine for their support with this project. The study was approved by Rowan University’s Institutional Review Board.
