The Influence of Depression, Living Arrangement, Gender, and Age on Bmi Status among Fresno State Students

The purpose of the study was to investigate the differences between having a diagnosis of depression in the past 12 months, living arrangement, gender, and age to BMI status among Fresno State students. The study utilized secondary data collected from the American College Health Association (ACHA) National College Health Assessment (NCHA) II survey at California State University, Fresno during the spring of 2016. A total of 1,569 students responded to the survey, for a total response rate of 22.4%. Pearson’s Chi-square was run through Crosstabs in SPSS to test the differences between the variables. The researcher found no difference between having a diagnosis of depression in the past 12 months and BMI status, but there was a difference between living arrangement and BMI status, age and BMI status, and gender and BMI status. Implications from the research indicated that there is a high prevalence of overweight/obesity among Fresno State students. Fresno State would benefit from providing additional resources and funds to hire on health educators and dietitians for weight management programs. Online resources and monthly emails can help to increase awareness of weight management programs. Resources and health information for weight management should be comprehensive and include appropriate referrals made by clinicians.