PLoS ONE (Jan 2015)

Perceived stress and coping strategies in relation to body mass index: cross-sectional study of 12,045 Japanese men and women.

  • Chisato Shimanoe,
  • Megumi Hara,
  • Yuichiro Nishida,
  • Hinako Nanri,
  • Yasuko Otsuka,
  • Kazuyo Nakamura,
  • Yasuki Higaki,
  • Takeshi Imaizumi,
  • Naoto Taguchi,
  • Tatsuhiko Sakamoto,
  • Mikako Horita,
  • Koichi Shinchi,
  • Keitaro Tanaka

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0118105
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 2
p. e0118105

Abstract

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BackgroundAccumulated evidence suggests a weak positive relationship between psychosocial stress and body mass index (BMI), but little is known about stress coping strategies and BMI.ObjectiveWe aimed to examine if perceived stress and coping strategies are related to BMI, with any of their mutual interactions on BMI.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 5,063 men and 6,982 women aged 40-69 years. A self-administered questionnaire ascertained perceived stress and 5 items of coping strategies (emotion expression, emotional support seeking, positive reappraisal, problem solving, and disengagement). Analyses were performed by gender with adjustment for age, socioeconomic status, and lifestyle factors.ResultsNo significant associations were detected between perceived stress and BMI in either men (P(trend) = 0.09) or women (P(trend) = 0.58). In men, however, 'disengagement' showed an inverse association with BMI (P(trend) ConclusionsCoping strategies may have an important role in developing overweight/obesity, particularly in men.