earticle

영어

This study was conducted to find associations of stress with obesity in female college students in Gwangju. 343 subjects were divided into two groups based on BMI(body mass index). BMI of normal group was 19.3±1.5 while that of obese group was 26.4±3.6. The measured stress level in obese subjects was higher and they were less capable of controlling obese oriented attitude compared to normal subject. Twenty four hour dietary recall revealed that nutrient intakes of obese subjects were higher in energy, lipid, P and cholesterol. However, they were more deficient in Ca, Fe and vitamin A, compared to those of normal ones. This study suggested severe stress might trigger undesirable dietary behavior leading to increase in food consumption which contribute to obesity. Effective nutrition education program targeting obese female students should be developed and implemented to relieve stress and practice desirable dietary behavior and eating pattern.