Jie Weiss, PhD

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Lifestyle Health Behaviors And Psychological Distress In Risk Of
Obesity Among U.S. College Students

The purpose of the present study was to examine multiple domains of health behaviors as risk and protective factors in the association between psychological distress and obesity among college students. Understanding the complex links among psychosocial and behavioral factors may be critical to curbing the rising obesity rate.

The Unintended Effect Of Attention To The New Nutrition Facts
Label Formats On Consumer Purchase Intentions

The goal of this project is to the effect of new Nutrition Facts Label (NFL) formats on consumer purchase intentions. The study conducted a within-subject design experiment. Total 673 college students in the U.S. completed an online experiment survey. An ordered probit regression model was used in the analysis. Finding of this project indicated that the single-serving container NFL had the largest effect. Subjects who were presented with this format were 26.2% more likely to decrease their purchase intentions. The dual-column NFL (22.1%) and the new standard NFL (15.1%) had the smaller effect. The 27% of the effect of the single-serving container NFL on decreasing purchase intentions was associated with the increase in the anticipated guilt of consumption, followed by the dual-column NFL new standard NFL (9.29%). In conclusion, the newly designed NFL formats are more effective than the original NFL format in improving mindful consumption (the publication is under revision and re-submission).

Social Relationships, Eating Habits And Co-Morbid Distress
Among U.S. College Students

Different sources of social relationships can have both beneficial and harmful effects on health behaviors and health outcomes. Given the formative period of young adulthood and changing lifestyle habits, examining social relationships within the unique social context of college may provide new, additional insights into college students’ eating habits and rising obesity rate. However, there are several limitations with prior research that impedes our understanding of these linkages and high prevalence of college obesity.

One reason for the limited knowledge is that psychological distress and obesity often manifest together, and despite their common co-occurrence few studies have examined both concurrently. This is problematic because risk factors for obesity may be obscured in the presence of distress. In addition, many have examined social relationships under the framework of the stress-buffering hypothesis (e.g., social relationships as a moderator), the direct and indirect influence of the quality of social relationships from multiple sources (e.g., parents, peers, romantic partners) on distress and obesity has rarely been considered. Examining distress and obesity as a joint health outcome circumvents the causal priority between the two and may provide a better understanding of their shared risk factors.

Psychological Distress And Obesity: Social Context Patterns Among A Multiethnic Sample Of U.S. College Students

This study used gender-stratified, multivariate analyses to examine psychological distress as a key determinant of obesity and social contextual risk factors among a sample of young adults from the College Lifestyle and Wellbeing Study (N=2392). Distress was associated with increased odds of obesity among female college students, and there were gendered patterns in risk and protective factors of the distress-obesity association. Findings highlight the importance of creating meaningful, gender- and time point-specific interventions to prevent weight gain and obesity among the college population.