ASSOCIATION BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS AND BODY MASS INDEX OF NUTRITION DEPARTMENT STUDENTS IN SURABAYA

Abstract

Stress is a human response to straining environment. Humans respond to stress through parasympathetic and sympathetic networks. Chronic stress can be a risk factor that can trigger, worsen, or lead to weight gain. This study identified the association between psychological stress and the body mass index of fifty-five students in Surabaya. It was an observational analytic study with a cross-sectional design. Data were collected from measurements of body weight and body height to calculate the body mass index and through online questionnaires on levels of psychological stress. The data were analyzed using Kendall’s Tau-b on SPSS software. The results showed that 18 respondents classified as normal psychological stress levels had normal body mass index, and one respondent with severe psychological stress had underweight status. The Kendall’s Tau-b test results showed a p-value of 0.186 indicating that psychological stress was not significantly associated with body mass index of this population.