Relationship between hidden obesity, personality traits, lifestyle habits, and psychological stress in university students

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between general personality tendencies,lifestyle habits, and psychological stress in order to ascertain the factors that form hidden obesity. [Method] Participants: Eight hundred and seventy-nine university students (average 19.59 years old, SD=1.39) were analyzed. Questionnaires: The Diagnostic Inventory of Health and Life habit: DIHAL.2, Stress Response scale-18; SRS-18, the Japanese version of the Eating attitudes test-26 (EAT-26) ), TEG II (Tokyo University Egogram New Ver. II),and scales from surveys on eating habits and food preferences were administered. [Results and Discussion] In order to ascertain the factors that form hidden obesity, we performed analysis of variance and multiple regression analysis of each subscale of the DIHAL.2, SRS-18, EAT-26, TEG II, and surveys on eating habits and food preference. Analysis of variance showed that although the hidden obesity group had a higher level of exercise consciousness than the other groups, their sleep regularity and physical health were lower. In addition, the hidden obesity group was more likely to have higher lethargy and anxiety scores than the normal group. This suggested that the general personality tendencies of hidden obesity are that they suppress their emotions and have strong conflicts. The hidden obesity group often felt anxious about meals and feared obesity, and they engaged in dieting behavior, suggesting that they may have severe eating behavior abnormalities. Multiple regression analysis revealed that hidden obesity was associated with lifestyle habits and eating attitudes. These results suggest that improving lifestyle habits and enhancing psychological stress management are important factors in preventing hidden obesity. In the future, analyses will need to be performed using more complete data,and studies will need to focus on weight loss and examine its relationship with lifestyle habits and personality traits.