ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health

Sec. Public Health and Nutrition

Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1566383

This article is part of the Research TopicThe role of emotional regulation and digital device use in adolescent obesity and nutritionView all articles

Association between body mass index and happiness among young adults in Taiwan: a cross-sectional study

Provisionally accepted
Chi-Fang LinChi-Fang Lin1,2Yan-Jhu SuYan-Jhu Su3Hsiao-Fang KaoHsiao-Fang Kao4Po-Fu LeePo-Fu Lee5,6Mei-Ling ChaoMei-Ling Chao7Ding-Peng YehDing-Peng Yeh8Jiann-Cherng ShiehJiann-Cherng Shieh9Chien-Chang HoChien-Chang Ho10,11*
  • 1Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei City, Taiwan
  • 2Office of Physical Education, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan
  • 3Department of Gerontology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, United States
  • 4Department of Sports Management, Minghsin University of Science and Technology, Hsinchu County, Taiwan
  • 5Department of Leisure Industry and Health Promotion, National Ilan University, Yilan County, Taiwan
  • 6College of Humanities and Management, National Ilan University, Yilan County, Taiwan
  • 7Department of Nursing, Mei-Ho University, Pingtung County, Taiwan
  • 8Department of Sport Management, Aletheia University, New Taipei City, Taiwan
  • 9Graduate Institute of Library and Information Studies, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei City, Taiwan
  • 10Department of Physical Education, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan
  • 11Sports Medicine Center, Fu Jen Catholic Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan

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Background: Body mass index (BMI) is widely used as an indicator of physical health and has been associated with various psychological and social outcomes. While previous studies have explored the link between BMI and mental well-being, findings remain inconsistent, especially among young adults. This study aimed to examine the associations between BMI and self-reported happiness among young adults in Taiwan.A cross-sectional study was conducted using secondary datasets from the Taiwan National Physical Activity Survey, a nationally representative survey of the Taiwanese population. A total of 10,638 young adults aged 18-44 years were enrolled in this study between August and October 2020. Demographic characteristics, self-reported health status, self-evaluations (comprising height, body weight, BMI, and happiness levels), and residence zip codes were among the data obtained through the national telephone survey.The results revealed that, participants in very happy (β= 3.167, p < 0.001), happy (β= 3.239, p < 0.001), fair (β= 3.058, p < 0.001), and unhappy (β= 2.942, p < 0.001) groups exhibited a significantly higher BMI than did participants in very unhappy group. After adjusting for potential confounders, the very happy, happy, fair, and unhappy groups showed statistically associated with underweight risk reduction (OR = 0.196, 95% CI: 0.061-0.633; OR = 0.258, 95% CI: 0.085-0.785; OR = 0.271, 95% CI: 0.083-0.882; OR = 0.222, 95% CI: 0.069-0.714).Overall, this study revealed that happiness levels were positively associated with BMI, and the increments of happiness levels may have reducing the risk of underweight occurrence.

Keywords: Adiposity, Cross-sectional study, Subjective well-being, Taiwan, Young Adult

Received: 24 Jan 2025; Accepted: 24 Jun 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Lin, Su, Kao, Lee, Chao, Yeh, Shieh and Ho. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Chien-Chang Ho, Department of Physical Education, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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