Is level of anxiety associated with overweight and obesity risk in university students? The NUTSAU Study.

INTRODUCTION: Introduction: effective ways of overcoming overweight may depend, in part, on the ability to identify mood disorders (anxiety is most prevalent) and their association with overeating and weight gain. The use of anthropometric indicators for such purposes can inform individual strategies for intervention before obesity sets in. Objective: to verify the association between anxiety and anthropometric indicators in university students. Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted in 147 undergraduates across all programmes taught by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) at Macaé. A self-assessment questionnaire was administered in order to gather socioeconomic, lifestyle, and anxiety data. Anxiety status was estimated based on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and interpreted based on the median of scores (p ≥ 50). An anthropometric assessment was conducted to measure the subjects' body mass, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC). Body fat percentage (%BF) data were obtained using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). The data were then analyzed using the chi-square and logistic regression tests, with a 0.05 significance level. For analysis purposes, anxiety was defined as the exposure variable in the present study, and anthropometric indicators as the outcomes. Results: the students with an anxiety state p ≥ 50 presented an odds ratio (OR) of 2.69 for being overweight (p = 0.02), as well as an OR of 2.77 for having high BF (p = 0.02) in the adjusted models. Conclusion: a higher level of anxiety is associated with anthropometric indicators among university students, specifically for overweight or obesity and high BF percentages.

INTRODUCCIÓN: Introducción: determinar formas efectivas de combatir el sobrepeso puede depender parcialmente de identificar las alteraciones del estado de ánimo, entre las cuales prevalece la ansiedad, y asociarlas al consumo excesivo de alimentos. Puede ser útil utilizar identificaciones antropométricas en tal investigación para definir estrategias personalizadas antes de que aparezca la obesidad. Objetivo: verificar la asociación entre síntomas de ansiedad e indicadores antropométricos en estudiantes universitarios. Metodología: este trabajo es un estudio transversal con 147 estudiantes de graduación de la Universidad Federal de Río de Janeiro en Macaé. Se recopilaron los datos con un cuestionario autocompletado sobre rasgos socioeconómicos, estilo de vida y síntomas de ansiedad. Se estimó el estado de ansiedad considerando el Inventario del Estado de Ansiedad (STAI, por sus siglas en inglés) por encima de la mediana (p > 50). La evaluación antropométrica consistió en medir la masa corporal, el índice de masa corporal (IMC), la circunferencia de la cintura (CC) y el porcentaje de grasa corporal (GC), obtenidos por bioimpedancia eléctrica bipolar. El análisis de datos se realizó mediante pruebas de regresión logística y del chi cuadrado, con el nivel de significancia establecido en 0,05. A efectos del análisis, se definieron como exposición el estado de ansiedad y como resultados los indicadores antropométricos. Resultados: los estudiantes con STAI de p > 50 presentaron una razón de momios (RM) de 2,69 para el sobrepeso (p = 0,02) y de 2,77 para un nivel alto de GC (p = 0,02) en los modelos ajustados. Conclusión: entre los estudiantes universitarios, un nivel de ansiedad más alto se asocia a los indicadores antropométricos de sobrepeso u obesidad y de nivel alto de GC.

Bariatric surgery: impact on body composition after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of bariatric surgery on the body composition of patients suffering from class III obesity at different postoperative time intervals. METHODS: The body composition of 114 patients undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery was measured prior to surgery (T0) and then 30 (T30) and 180 (T180) days following surgery. Body composition was evaluated using the following parameters: total body mass, body mass index, excess weight, percentage of excess weight loss, relative body fat (%F), lean body mass (LBM), and fat tissue mass (FTM). To determine these variables, validated formulas and equations proper to obese men and women were employed. RESULTS: A significant reduction in %F (41.5%), LBM (20.3%), FTM (37.9%) was noted at each time interval (p ≤ 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Bariatric surgery proved to be effective in reducing total body mass and body fat at every time interval. However, dietary measures emphasizing adequate protein intake may be implemented in order to reduce loss of LBM and, coupled with frequent physical activity, may help curtail the impact the surgery has on morphological variables.