Document Type : Original Article
Authors
Department of Surgery, Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Researchers have examined the association between self‑esteem and obesity in
past studies. However, most studies have focused on pediatric or adolescent populations. In this
pilot study, we aim to explore the association of self‑esteem with weight status in young adults, a
group of individuals in a significant and pivotal period of their lives whose needs and challenges
have received little attention in previous studies.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Exactly 127 college juniors and seniors in the Midwest participated
in late 2017. For our survey, we collected the following information: body weight, height, self‑esteem
score from the state self‑esteem scale, grade point average, risk of eating disorders, sleep quality,
nutritional behavior, lifestyle (smoking, frequency of exercise, alcohol drinking, average daily time
watching television, playing video games, and social media use), and demographic and socioeconomic
background. We used logistic regression for our analysis.
RESULTS: The logistic regression indicates that a one‑point increase in the self‑esteem
score was negatively associated with a young adult’s odds of having an unhealthy weight
(being overweight or obese) by approximately 3%. Furthermore, soda drinking is a statistically
significant factor associated with weight status.
CONCLUSIONS: This finding suggests self‑esteem is positively associated with a healthy weight
in young adults. A larger‑scale study should be conducted in the future to validate this relationship
and better understand young adults’ needs.
Keywords
Am J Clin Nutr 1990;55:524S‑32S.
2. Wadden TA, Stunkard AJ. Social and psychological consequences
of obesity. Ann Intern Med 1985;103:1062‑7.
3. Heatherton TF, Baumeister RF. Binge eating as escape from
self‑awareness. Psychol Bull 1991;110:86‑108.
4. Kelly AC, Vimalakanthan K, Carter JC. Understanding the roles
of self‑esteem, self‑compassion, and fear of self‑compassion in
eating disorder pathology: An examination of female students
and eating disorder patients. Eat Behav 2014;15:388‑91.
5. Griffiths LJ, Parsons TJ, Hill AJ. Self‑esteem and quality of life in obese children and adolescents: A systematic review. Int J Pediatr
Obes 2010;5:282‑304.
6. Hill AJ. Obesity in children and the ‘myth of psychological
maladjustment’: Self‑esteem in the spotlight. Curr Obes Rep
2017;6:63‑70.
7. Meland E, Breidablik HJ, Thuen F, Samdel GB. How body
concerns, body mass, self‑rated health, and self‑esteem are
mutually impacted in early adolescence: A longitudinal cohort
study. BMC Pubic Health 2021;21:496.
8. McClure AC, Tanski SE, Kingsbury J, Gerrard M, Sargent JD.
Characteristics associated with low self‑esteem among US
adolescents. Acad Pediatr 2010;10:238‑ 44.e2.
9. Radziwillowicz W, Macias M. Self‑esteem, and achievement
motivation level in overweight and obese adolescents. Health
Psychol Rep 2014;2:132‑43.
10. Committee on Improving the Health, Safety, and Well‑Being of
Young Adults; Board on Children, Youth, and Families; Institute
of Medicine; National Research Council. Investing in the health
and well‑being of young adults. In Bonnie RJ, Stroud C, Breiner H,
editors. Investing in the Health and Well‑Being of Young Adults.
Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2015. Available
from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK284787/. [doi:
10.17226/18869] [Last accessed on 2021 Dec 01].
11. Singleton EK, Bienemy C, Hutchinson SW, Dellinger A, Rami JS.
A pilot study: A descriptive correlational study of factors
associated with weight in college nursing students. ABNF J
2011;22:89‑95.
12. Sanlier N, Biyikli AE, Biyikli ET. Evaluating the relationship of
eating behaviors of university students with body mass index
and self‑esteem. Ecol Food Nutr 2015;54:175‑85.
13. Herbozo S, Schaefer LM, Thompson JK. A comparison of
eating disorder psychopathology, appearance satisfaction, and
self‑esteem in overweight and obese women with and without
binge eating. Eat Behav 2015;17:86‑9.
14. Heatherton TF, Polivy J. Development and validation of a scale
for measuring state self‑esteem. J Per Soc Psychol 1991;60:895‑910.
15. World Health Organization. Obesity: Preventing and Managing
the Global Epidemic: Report of a WHO Consultation. World
Health Organization; 2000. Available from: https://apps.who.
int/iris/handle/10665/42330. [Last accessed on 2022 Feb 24].
16. Garrett JM. SWBOOT: Stata Module to Bootstrap Stepwise Linear
or Logistic Regression Models. Statistical Software Components
S415601, Boston College Department of Economics; 2000.
Available from: https://ideas.repec.org/c/boc/bocode/s415601.
html. [Last accessed on 2021 Nov 15].
17. Abdalla MM, Alsadi NA, Azman AH, Thivakaran, AQ, Vin HS,
Karunakaran K, et al. The association between abnormal eating
behaviors, body mass index, and waist‑to‑height ratio among
university students in Malaysia. US Endocrinol 2020;16:69‑73.
18. Yamamoto R, Tomi R, Shinzawa M, Yoshimura R, Ozaki S,
Nakanishi K, et al. Associations of skipping breakfast, lunch,
and dinner with weight gain and overweight/obesity in
university students: A retrospective cohort study. Nutrients
2021;13:271.
19. Malik VS, Schulze MB, Hu, FB. Intake of sugar‑sweetened
beverages and weight gain: A systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr
2006;84:274‑88.
20. Nour M, Lutze SA, Grech A, Allman‑Farinelli M. The relationship
between vegetable intake and weight outcomes: A systematic
review of cohort studies. Nutrients 2018;10:1626.
21. Kaiser KA, Brown AW, Bohan Brown MM, Shikany JM,
Mattes RD, Allison DB. Increased fruit and vegetable intake has
no discernible effect on weight loss: A systematic review and
meta‑analysis. Am J Clin Nutr 2014;100:567‑76.
22. Mohebbi B, Tafaghodi B, Sadeghi R, Tol A, Yekanenejad MS.
Factors predicting nutritional knowledge, illness perceptions,
and dietary adherence among hypertensive middle‑aged women:
Application of transtheoretical model. J Educ Health Promot
2021;10:212.
23. Sabouri M, Shakibazadeh E, Mohebbi B, Tol A, Yaseri M, Babaee S.
Effectiveness of an educational intervention using theory of
planned behavior on health care empowerment among married
reproductive‑age women: A randomized controlled trial. J Educ
Health Promot 2020;9:293.
24. Barutcu A, Taylor S, McLeod CJ, Witcomb GL, James, LJ. Planned
aerobic exercise increases energy intake at the preceding meal.
Med Sci Sports Exerc 2018;52:968‑75.
25. West, H. Does Exercise Help You Lose Weight? The Surprising
Truth; 2021. Available from: https://www.healthline.com/
nutrition/does‑exercise‑cause‑weight‑loss. [Last accessed on
2021 Nov 15].
26. Naess M, Sund ER, Holman TL, KvalØy K. Implications of
parental lifestyle changes and education level on adolescent
offspring weight: A population‑based cohort study‑The HUNT
study, Norway. BMJ Open 2018;8:E023406.
27. Alley S, Wellens P, Schoeppe S, de Vries H, Rebar AL, Short CE,
et al. Impact of increasing social media uses on sitting time and
body mass index. Health Promot J Austr 2017;28:91‑5.
28. Charan J, Biswas T. How to calculate sample size for different
study designs in medical research? Indian J Psychol Med
2013;35:121‑6.
29. Sowislo JF, Orth U. Does low self‑esteem predict depression and
anxiety? A meta‑analysis of longitudinal studies. Psychol Bull
2013;139:213‑40.
30. Luppino FS, de Wit LM, Bouvy PF, Stijnen T, Cuijpers P,
Penninx BW, et al. Overweight, obesity, and depression:
A systematic review and meta‑analysis of longitudinal studies.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 2010;67:220‑9.
)