Loneliness is associated with unhealthful dietary behaviors and physical inactivity among US college students

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate dietary and physical activity behavior in relation to loneliness among college students. Participants: Three-hundred forty-six incoming first-year students in Fall 2019 at a large state University in the US. Methods: Students completed online surveys in Fall 2019. Multivariable regression analyses were used to model associations of health behaviors with loneliness, adjusting for gender and body mass index (BMI). Results: Two-hundred sixty-four students were included in this analysis. Students in loneliness score ranges of 4–6 and 7–9 have higher fat diet than students in score range of 10–12 (p = .007). Sedentary (19.2%) and low active (53.8%) behaviors were more frequent in students reporting high loneliness than those reporting low loneliness (13.8%, 36.7%, respectively) (p = .006). Conclusions: In this sample of college students, loneliness was related to altered diet quality and physical inactivity. Interventions to reduce loneliness may have a positive effect on health promotion in this population.

Keywords:

• College students
• dietary behavior
• fat intake
• loneliness
• physical activity

Acknowledgment

The authors wish to acknowledge the following people for providing feedback on various drafts of this study: Dr. Constance Gewa, Dr. Margaret Slavin, Erika Kennedy, and Jimmy Kang.

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States of America and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of George Mason University.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by George Mason University Institute for BioHealth Innovation.