Abstract
Purpose: This study examined the extent to which Body Mass Index (BMI) and four positive personal attributes (hope, gratitude, life
satisfaction, and subjective happiness) contributed to physical and mental health in university students.
Methods: Participants were 925 university students (591 males
vs. 334 females; Mean age = 19.66±1.43 years old) in a major public
university in Shanghai. The students completed the physical and mental
health survey modified from 2013 and 2015 National Youth Risk
Behavior Surveys, the Hope Scale, the Gratitude Questionnaire-6 (GQ-6),
the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Subjective Happiness Scale,
and the self-reported body height and weight used for computing BMI in
regular physical education classes. Alpha coefficients of each measure
ranged from .83 to .90. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics,
multiple R-squared linear regression models, MANOVA, and ANOVA as
well as post hoc comparisons.
Results: BMI and the four positive personal attributes
significantly predicted physical and mental health (F = 127.21, p<
.01), accounting
for 41% of the total variance in health. The standardized regression
coefficients (β) revealed that BMI, hope, and subjective happiness were
individual, significant contributors to health (t = -3.72, t = 8.01, t =
12.02, p< .01). Students in higher levels of the health groups
scored
significantly higher in hope, gratitude, life satisfaction, and
subjective happiness than their counterparts in the two lower quartiles.
Conclusion: Healthy body weight and positive personal attributes play paramount roles in influencing physical and mental health among
Chinese university students.
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