Stress and cardiometabolic manifestations among Saudi students entering universities: a cross-sectional observational study

作者：Al Daghri Nasser M^*; Al Othman Abdulaziz; Al Attas Omar S; Alkharfy Khalid M; Alokail Majed S; Albanyan Abdulmajeed; Sabico Shaun; Chrousos George P

来源：BMC Public Health, 2014, 14(1): 391.

DOI：10.1186/1471-2458-14-391

• Stress
• Cardiometabolic clustering
• Saudi
• Students
• College life
• Perceived stress

Background: In this observational study, we aimed to see whether transition in Saudi students entering university life could be a breeding stage for cardiometabolic risk factor emergence and clustering. %26lt;br%26gt;Methods: A total of 1878 apparently healthy Saudi students of the Preparatory Year, King Saud University, Riyadh, KSA (1112 men and 766 women) spanning 2 academic years were included. They were divided into 2 groups based on the validated perceived stress test (PST). Anthropometrics were obtained and fasting blood samples were collected for measurement of fasting blood glucose and a lipid profile. %26lt;br%26gt;Results: PST score (%26gt;27) considered indicative of stress was noted in 44.4% of students. The prevalence of this score was higher in women than in men (49.7% versus 40.7%). The prevalence of obesity, hypertension and dyslipidemia was significantly higher in men than women (p %26lt; 0.01), and this was even more apparent among stressed men, who had a significantly higher prevalence of all the above cardiometabolic factors than the non-stressed ones (p %26lt; 0.01). %26lt;br%26gt;Conclusion: Perceived stress is alarmingly high among Saudi students entering universities. This study sheds light on the social responsibility of universities in promoting a healthy lifestyle, particularly in this age group, when exposure to different kinds of stressors may result in body weight and metabolic changes.

• 出版日期2014-4-23