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Associations between psychological well‐being and weight status in transitional young adults.
Author(s) -
Johnson Shemyra Nicole,
Jahns Lisa,
LawlerRow Kathleen A
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.21.5.a116-c
Subject(s) - psychology , psychological well being , demography , developmental psychology , sociology
Objective: Lower psychological well‐being has consistently been correlated with poorer health in older adults. However, few studies have assessed the relationship of well‐being and health outcomes among transitional young adults. The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship of psychological well‐being and weight status among incoming freshmen students. Methods: A sample of 873 incoming freshmen (18–19 yrs) participated in a web‐based survey of health behaviors prior to entering college. The sample was predominantly European‐American (86%) and from the Southeast U.S. Domains of well‐being were assessed using a modified Ryff Psychological Well‐Being scale and weight status was calculated using BMI from self‐reported height, weight and IOTF recommendations. Results: Self‐Acceptance scores ranged from 4–18 (mean 14.71± 2.67). Normal weight participants (68%) reported higher levels of Self‐Acceptance than either under‐(6%), over‐(18%) weight or obese participants (8%) (p<0.05). Conclusions: Low Self‐Acceptance may be predictive of BMI and psychological well‐being in later health, although the direction of the relationship is unclear. Longitudinal follow‐up may help to clarify the relationship between psychological well‐being, weight status and the ability to thrive in the college environment.