Associations between obesity (BMI and waist circumference) and socio-demographic factors, physical activity, dietary habits, life events, resilience, mood, perceived stress and hopelessness in healthy older Europeans

Abstract

BackgroundIt is important to understand the psycho-social context of obesity to inform prevention and treatment of obesity at both the individual and public health level.MethodsRepresentative samples of middle-aged adults aged ≥43 years were recruited in Great Britain (GB) (n = 1182) and Portugal (n = 540) and interviewed to explore associations between body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), demographic factors, physical activity, dietary habits (FFQ), life events (LES), Resilience (RS11), Mood (MS), Hopelessness (BDI) and Perceived Stress (PSS4). BMI (kg/m2) and WC (cm) were dependent variables in separate multiple linear regression models for which predictors were entered in 4 blocks: 1. demographic factors; 2. stressful life events; 3. diet/activity; and, 4. psychological measures.ResultsIn the GB sample, BMI (kg/m2) was predicted by less education, illness in a close friend or relative, frequent alcohol consumption and sedentary behaviour. Among the Portuguese, higher BMI (kg/m2) was predicted by lower resilience. Being male and less education were independent predictors of having a larger WC (cm) in both countries. Within GB, not working, illness in a close friend or relative, sedentary lifestyle and lower resilience were also independent predictors of a larger WC (cm).ConclusionsThese data suggest that intervention to treat and/or prevent obesity should target males, particularly those who have left education early and seek to promote resilience. In GB, targeting those with high alcohol consumption and encouraging physical activity, particularly among those who have experienced illness in a close friend or relative may also be effective in reducing obesity.

Do medical students adhere to advice regarding a healthy lifestyle? A pilot study of BMI and some aspects of lifestyle in medical students in Poland

“…This result is in contrast to those reported by Di Milia et al, Lahti-Koski et al, and Stewart-Knox et al, where BMI decreased with the amount of physical activity. 36,38,39 The explanation of our anomalous result might be that BMI reflects body mass, and this might be due to muscle rather than body fat. As a result, many athletes, for example, would be classified as "obese", even though their increased weight (for their height) is due to the development of muscle rather than an accumulation of excess body fat.…”

“…38 In the European population, BMI was positively associated with frequent alcohol consumption and sedentary behavior. 39 That is, an active lifestyle coupled with restricted alcohol intake has repeatedly been found to be associated with a lower BMI. Related to this, in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the recommended consumption of only up to 1 "standard" drink a day for women and up to 2 "standard" drinks a day for men emphasized moderation in alcohol intake (a "standard" drink being equal to 14.0 g of pure alcohol).…”

Factor structure and psychometric properties of the Dispositional Resilience Scale among Brazilian adult patients

“…Campbell-Sills and Stein proposed a ten-item version of the 25-item Connor-Davidson resilience scale 24 . An 11-item version of the Resilience Scale ( from Wagnild and Young, with 25 items) has also been cross-culturally adapted and validated 25 . An alpha coefficient of 0.71 demonstrates good internal consistency for the scale.…”

The association of demographic variables and dietary habits on body mass index of foreign-born population in South Korea

“…These changes are often associated with a higher Body Mass Index (BMI) or obesity [4]. In addition, reports associate other variables such as socio-demographic factors to obesity [5]. Furthermore, the rapid economic growth of Korea forced the country away from its traditional diets of mainly vegetables and grains to less healthy and readily-available processed foods that are available to the immigrants as well.…”