Background

The college setting is considered an obesogenic environment due to high availability of palatable foods. However, only a minority of freshmen gain weight. Individual-level risk factors, such as impulsivity, may hold utility in predicting weight and adiposity changes. Individuals with an impulsive decision-making style may favor immediately rewarding foods at the expense of long-term health. Individuals who seek rewarding foods during strong emotions may also be at risk. The study tested decisional (delay-discounting; DD) and emotion-driven impulsivity (urgency) as risk factors for 1) weight and 2) body roundness change during freshman year.

Methods

Freshmen (N = 103) completed questionnaires assessing DD, positive urgency (PU), and negative urgency (NU). Weight and body roundness index (BRI) were collected at the beginning and end of the academic year. Four repeated measures regression models examined impulsivity factors predicting change in 1) weight and 2) BRI. Models included baseline weight and height or BRI, respectively. Covariates included average daily caloric intake, energy expenditure from walking, and sex.

Results

In models examining weight, neither DD nor NU were significantly associated with weight at follow-up (b = 0.008, p = .977; b = 0.280, p = .075) when holding covariates constant. In contrast, PU was significantly associated with weight at follow-up (b = 0.303, p = .033). In models examining BRI, DD (b = −0.039, p = .511) and PU (b = 0.049, p = .072) were not associated with BRI at follow-up. In contrast, NU was significantly associated with BRI at follow-up (b = 0.068, p = .017).

Conclusions

Emotion-driven impulsivity may be a risk factor for weight gain or change in body roundness during freshman year.

中文翻译：

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冲动是大学新生体重增加和身体圆度变化的危险因素

背景

由于美味食物的可用性很高，大学环境被认为是一个容易导致肥胖的环境。然而，只有少数新生体重增加。个体层面的风险因素，例如冲动，可能有助于预测体重和肥胖变化。具有冲动决策风格的人可能会倾向于立即获得奖励的食物，而以牺牲长期健康为代价。在情绪强烈时寻求奖励食物的人也可能面临风险。该研究测试了大一期间决策（延迟折扣；DD）和情绪驱动的冲动（紧迫性）作为 1）体重和 2）身体圆度变化的危险因素。

方法

新生 (N = 103) 完成了评估 DD、积极紧迫性 (PU) 和消极紧迫性 (NU) 的调查问卷。在学年开始和结束时收集体重和身体圆度指数（BRI）。四个重复测量回归模型检查了预测 1) 体重和 2) BRI 变化的冲动因素。模型分别包括基线体重和身高或 BRI。协变量包括平均每日热量摄入、步行的能量消耗和性行为。

结果

 在检查体重的模型中，当保持协变量恒定时，DD 和 NU 均与随访时的体重没有显着相关性（b = 0.008，p  = .977；b = 0.280，p = .075）。相比之下，PU 与随访时的体重显着相关（b = 0.303，p  = .033）。在检查 BRI 的模型中，DD (b = -0.039，p  = .511) 和 PU (b = 0.049，p  = .072) 与随访时的 BRI 无关。相比之下，随访时 NU 与 BRI 显着相关 (b = 0.068，p  = .017)。

结论

情绪驱动的冲动可能是大一期间体重增加或身体圆度变化的危险因素。