Objective: The growing prevalence of obesity among college students is a major public health issue, as over one-third are overweight or obese. This study used gender-stratified multivariate analyses to examine psychological distress and social contextual factors as key determinants of obesity. Participants: Students of a large public university in Southern California (N = 2392). Methods: In-class survey administered across various departments and general education courses. Results: Among females, distress (OR = 1.02) and sophomores (OR = 1.87) were associated with increased odds of obesity; Greek life (OR = 0.53) was associated with decreased odds of obesity. Among males, distress was not associated with obesity (OR = 1.00); financial strain (OR = 1.16) was associated with increased odds of obesity. Conclusions: There are gendered patterns in obesity risk with social context having potentially protective effects among women. Enhancing psychological wellbeing as well as creating gender- and context-specific interventions may be an effective strategy to address the rising rates of obesity among the college population.
Keywords: College students; gender; obesity; psychological distress; risk factors; social context.