A study on the mental health and body weight of Chinese college students in the context of COVID-19: implications for educational practice.

12.4% of Chinese college students were overweight or obese in 2023, with a higher prevalence among men.

• Data collected from 4,484 Chinese college students (3,565 men and 919 women) in 2022 and 2023.
• Overall overweight/obesity prevalence was 12.4% in 2023.
• Prevalence among men was 14.6%, higher than among women.
• BMI measurements were used to classify overweight/obesity status.

Psychological abnormalities were observed in 8.7% of students, with a higher proportion in women (9.5%).

• The SCL-90 (Symptom Checklist 90) scale was used to assess psychological status.
• Overall psychological abnormality rate was 8.7%.
• Women showed a higher rate of psychological abnormalities at 9.5% compared to the overall sample.
• Key psychological issues among female students included obsessive-compulsive disorder, interpersonal sensitivity, and depression.

Overweight/obese students showed no significant differences in 10 psychological indicators compared to non-overweight/obese students.

• Ten psychological indicators from the SCL-90 were compared between overweight/obese and non-overweight/obese students.
• Independent and paired-samples t-tests were conducted using SPSS software.
• No statistically significant differences were found across all 10 indicators.

A 1-point increase in somatization score was associated with 100.1% higher odds of being overweight/obese overall, with stronger effects in women.

• Logistic regression analysis was used to assess associations between psychological scores and overweight/obesity.
• Overall odds increase for somatization: 100.1%.
• For men, a 1-point increase in somatization score increased odds by 94.1%.
• For women, the same increase was associated with a 244.6% increase in odds of overweight/obesity.
• The effect of somatization was more pronounced in female students.

Higher hostility scores were associated with greater odds of overweight/obesity, with substantially stronger effects in women than men.

• A 1-point increase in hostility score was associated with an overall 78.1% increase in odds of overweight/obesity.
• For men, the odds increase associated with hostility was 69.5%.
• For women, the odds increase was 272.2%.
• Hostility was identified as one of the key psychological factors positively associated with overweight/obesity.

A 1-point increase in phobic anxiety score was negatively associated with odds of being overweight/obese, with the effect more pronounced in women.

• Overall, a 1-point increase in phobic anxiety score was associated with a 67.5% reduction in odds of overweight/obesity.
• For men, the reduction in odds was 54.0%.
• For women, the reduction in odds was 298.8%.
• Phobic anxiety was the only psychological indicator identified as negatively associated with overweight/obesity in this study.

COVID-19 had a minimal impact on body weight but significantly affected the mental health of Chinese college students.

• The obesity rate among female students increased post-COVID-19.
• Key psychological issues contributing to weight trends in women included obsessive-compulsive disorder, interpersonal sensitivity, and depression.
• Data were collected across 2022 and 2023, spanning the post-COVID-19 period in China.
• The study concluded that mental health effects of COVID-19 were more prominent than weight-related effects in this population.