Key result
Depressive and anxious symptoms linked to ~2-fold higher odds of excess body weight in university students.
Why the study?
Obesity rates are rising among young people, and the transition to university involves pressures that may affect body weight control and mental health, warranting investigation into associations between excess weight and depressive or anxiety symptoms.
Is there an association between overweight/obesity and depression/anxiety symptoms among university students?
Population
5298 students enrolled at universities across ten geographic areas of Greece
Comparison
Excess weight (overweight or obesity) vs normal weight
Design
Nationally representative cross-sectional study
Authors
Loading...
May warrant mental health screening in overweight students; hypothesis-generating and should not yet change practice pending longitudinal data.
Cross-Sectional (n=5,298)
Yes
Is there an association between overweight/obesity and depression/anxiety symptoms among university students?
Effect estimate: OR >2.0
p-value: p=0.0015 and 0.0012
Depressive and anxious symptoms are significantly associated with more than double the odds of overweight or obesity among university students in Greece.
Alexatou et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Overweight, obesity, depression, and anxiety (n=5,298). Depressive or anxious symptomatology vs. No depressive or anxious symptomatology was evaluated on Presence of overweight or obesity (OR >2.0, p=0.0015 and 0.0012). Depressive and anxious symptoms were associated with more than double the odds of excess body weight among university students compared to those without such symptoms (p=0.0015 and p=0.0012).
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: