A MULTIVARIATE-ANALYSIS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL-FACTORS RELATED TO BODY-MASSINDEX AND EATING PREOCCUPATION IN FEMALE COLLEGE-STUDENTS

Using a composite questionnaire, we measured the degree to which preoc cupation with eating and body mass index (BMI) are related to a series of psychological measures in a sample of female college students. Eat ing preoccupation was measured using a set of questions designed to be free of affective content. Thirty volunteers filled out the questionn aire; their height and weight were measured under standard conditions. Cor-relations showed that BMI was positively related to the variables Depression and Emotional Response to Environmental Stimuli, while Eat ing Preoccupation was most closely related to Anxiety. Principal compo nents analysis revealed two factors, one containing measures of positi ve emotionality, and one containing Eating Preoccupation and measures of negative emotionality, with BMI loaded on both components. These fa ctors reflect the relationship of BMI to measures of both positive and negative emotionality. Positive emotionality may be a reflection of a ctivation of a neurobehavioral system, the behavioral facilitation sys tem, while negative emotionality may be a reflection of activation of the behavioral inhibition system. The overweight women in this study a ppeared to have high levels of activation of one or both systems, whil e the underweight women appeared to have low activation of both system s. Approaches to the study of obesity in women should take into accoun t the fact that positive emotionality, as well as negative emotions su ch as depression and anxiety, may be related to BMI, and that eating p reoccupation appears to be a subset of overall anxiety.