Relationships between perceived stress and health behaviors in a sample of working adults
Abstract
The study examined associations between perceived stress and fat intake, exercise, alcohol consumption, and smoking behaviors. Data were from surveys of 12,110 individuals in 26 worksites participating in the SUCCESS project (D. J. Hennrikus, R. W. Jeffery, & H. A. Lando, 1995), a study of smoking cessation interventions. Linear regression analyses examined cross-sectional associations between stress level and health behaviors. Analyses were stratified by gender and controlled for demographics. High stress for both men and women was associated with a higher fat diet, less frequent exercise, cigarette smoking, recent increases in smoking, less self-efficacy to quit smoking, and less self-efficacy to not smoke when stressed. Stress was not associated with alcohol intake. Findings suggest that the association between stress and disease may be moderated in part by unhealthy behaviors.
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Other studies have found that stress is associated with higher levels of smoking.
“Other studies have found that stress is associated with higher levels of smoking.101,102”
From Evaluating Long-term Outcomes of NHS Stop Smoking Services (ELONS): a prospective cohort study (2015) · cites this paper as [101]
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“With long-term stress, there is a risk of poor health behavior, which further contributes to reduced health (Ng and Jeffery 2003; Rod et al. 2009; Stults-Kolehmainen and Sinha 2014).”
Background
- Authors
- Ng, D. M., & Jeffery, R. W.
- Affiliations
- University of Minnesota (US)
- Venue
- Health Psychology
- Published
- 2003-11
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 638-642
- ISSN
- 0278-6133 (ISSN-L)
- 1930-7810
- OpenAlex
- W2035706424
- Cited by
- 663
- References
- 54
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 32 · 2021: 41 · 2020: 38 · 2019: 43 · 2018: 36 · 2017: 52 · 2016: 39 · 2015: 40 · 2014: 44 · 2013: 51 · 2012: 31
- FWCI
- 4.60
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Health Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (P30DK050456, DK50456)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Smoking Behavior and Cessation
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Workplace Health and Well-being
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health and Lifestyle Studies
- Keywords
- perceived stress, health behavior, dietary fat intake, dietary fat, physical activity, alcohol consumption, smoking, smoking cessation, self-efficacy, working adults, gender differences, stress and disease
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Alcohol Drinking, Dietary Fats, Employment, Female, Health Surveys, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Minnesota, Sex Factors, Smoking, Stress, Psychological, Health Behavior, Exercise, Linear Models, Occupational Health, Smoking Cessation, Workplace
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