Impact of Race/Ethnicity and Gender on Obesity and Sleeping Difficulties among College Students at Fresno State

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible influences of race/ethnicity and gender on obesity rates and sleep difficulties among college students at California State University, Fresno. Current research shows that racial/ethnic minority groups tend to experience more sleeping difficulties, along with higher obesity rates when compared to nonHispanic Whites. Within this population, men have shown even higher rates of obesity and sleep difficulties. This secondary analysis study used the American College Health AssociationNational College Health Assessment survey that was distributed to Fresno State college students during the spring semester of 2016. Six research questions were tested using the Chi Square test, with an alpha level of .05. Results from the research questions revealed that race/ethnicity and gender had statistically significant influences on rates of obesity and sleeping difficulties among the study population, which concur with the literature.