An assessment of obesity, stress, and sleep patterns of college students at the University of Guam

Introduction: Several epidemiologic studies have reported higher rates of obesity found in those who have minimal sleep as well as those with chronic life stressors of middle-aged individuals.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe obesity, stress, and sleep patterns of college students.

Methods: An estimated 10% of the University of Guam student population (n = 338), ≥18 years of age, were surveyed from August to December 2014.  Trained student researchers collected information on demographics, health behaviors (including stress and sleep patterns), and height and weight measurements to estimate obesity.  To compare between single and mixed ethnicities and males and females, statistical software was used to perform Pearson’s chi-square tests on dichotomous data, such as obesity (body mass index ³30 and body mass index <30), stress (severely stressed and not severely stressed), and sleep patterns (good quality and poor quality). Independent t-tests were used on continuous data, such as age and mean hours of sleep per night.

Results: Neither ethnic-specific, nor sex-specific differences were found to be statistically significant.  The mean age of students was 22.2 ± 3.9 years. Of the 338 students, 52.4% were females and 47.6% were males, and the majority (54.7%) was employed for wages.  The overall prevalence of obesity and severe stress was 19.2% and 25.4%, respectively.  The mean hours of sleep per night of all students was 6.1 ± .01.  Among obese students, the prevalence of severe stress and poor sleep was 23.1%, respectively.  The mean hours of sleep per night among obese students was 6.1± 1.7. 

Conclusion: The obesity prevalence found in this study was lower than the reported obesity prevalence of 27% among the general adult population of Guam, and may be explained by the young demographics of the student population. To prevent creeping obesity, the students would benefit from institution-wide continued education and innovative activities that promote health and wellness. The prevalence of stress and sleep quality in this study are among the first to be reported for Guam. To monitor stress and sleep quality patterns long-term, continued measurement of these variables are strongly encouraged.