Weight-related status and associated predictors with psychological well-being among first-year university students in Bangladesh: a pilot study

Griffiths, MD ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8880-6524, Islam, MS, Akter, R and Sikder, MT, 2022. Weight-related status and associated predictors with psychological well-being among first-year university students in Bangladesh: a pilot study. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 20 (3), pp. 1354-1369. ISSN 1557-1874

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Abstract

University students (especially first-years) not only have to cope with their academic curriculum but also issues such as being away from the home environment and living independently for the first time. Those who do not adapt quickly to these new conditions are likely to be susceptible to physical and psychological vulnerabilities. The present study surveyed first-year Bangladeshi undergraduate students to investigate their weight status (i.e., the prevalence of being normal weight, underweight, overweight, and obese) and the prevalence of depression and associated risk factors. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 404 first-year university students (aged 18–23 years) residing at a Bangladeshi university. The participants completed a survey examining socio-demographic and behavioral variables, alongside the WHO-5 Well-Being Index. Binary logistic regression was performed to determine significant associations between the variables under examination. Prevalence rates of being normal weight, underweight, overweight, and obese were 66.8%, 20.3%, 9.7%, and 3.2% respectively. Associated predictors of weight-related problems were being female and lack of physical exercise. The prevalence rate of depression was 68.1%. There were no significant gender differences and associated predictors of depression were lack of physical exercise, unsatisfactory sleep quality, excessive internet use, and excessive reading hours. Being underweight, overweight, or being obese alongside the prevalence of depression among first-year university students were high. Findings indicate that first-year university students are a vulnerable group for some physical and psychological problems. Findings recommend the need for intervention programs, alongside adequate and appropriate supportive services for first-year Bangladeshi university students.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
Creators:	Griffiths, M.D., Islam, M.S., Akter, R. and Sikder, M.T.
Publisher:	Springer
Date:	June 2022
Volume:	20
Number:	3
ISSN:	1557-1874
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1007/s11469-020-00243-x DOI 1302261 Other
Rights:	© The Author(s) 2020. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	05 Mar 2020 09:45
Last Modified:	17 Jun 2022 16:09
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/39366

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