Mediating role of body-related shame and guilt in the relationship between weight perceptions and lifestyle behaviours.

INTRODUCTION: A substantial proportion of individuals with overweight or obesity perceive themselves as 'too heavy' relative to 'about right'. Perceiving one's weight as 'too heavy' is associated with lower levels of physical activity and higher levels of sedentary behaviour. However, the mechanisms underpinning the associations between weight perception and lifestyle behaviours have not been identified. Based on theoretical tenets and empirical evidence, the self-conscious emotions of shame and guilt may mediate these associations. METHODS: Participants were young adults (n = 618, Mage = 24.0 ± .6 years) who provided data on weight, weight perception, body-related shame and guilt, physical activity and screen time. RESULTS: Mediation analyses using the PROCESS macro indicated that shame and guilt significantly mediated the relationships between weight perception and physical activity and shame significantly mediated the relationship between weight perception and screen time. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide preliminary evidence that self-conscious emotions may be mechanisms by which weight perception influences physical activity and sedentary behaviour in young adults. However, longitudinal investigations of this mechanism are needed.

Nicotine dependence and sleep quality in young adults.

INTRODUCTION: More cigarette smokers report poor sleep quality than non-smokers, but the association between nicotine dependence (ND) and sleep quality has not been well-characterized. The objective of this study was to describe the associations among frequency and intensity of cigarette smoking, ND symptoms, and sleep quality in young adults. METHODS: Data on past-year smoking frequency, number of cigarettes smoked in the past month, five ND indicators (i.e., withdrawal, craving, self-medication symptoms, mFTQ, ICD-10 criteria for tobacco dependence), and sleep quality (measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)) were collected in 2011-12 in self-report questionnaires completed by 405 young adult smokers (mean age 24 (0.6) years; 45% male; 45% daily smokers) participating in a longitudinal investigation of the natural course of ND. Associations between indicators of cigarette smoking, ND symptoms, and sleep quality were examined in multivariable logistic regression analyses controlling for age, sex, mother's education, and alcohol use. RESULTS: Thirty-six percent of participants reported poor sleep quality (PSQI>5). Higher cigarette consumption (OR(95% CI), 1.03(1.001-1.05)) but not frequency of past-year smoking, more frequent withdrawal symptoms (1.05(1.004-1.10)), more frequent cravings (1.05(1.004-1.10)), higher mFTQ scores (1.14(1.02-1.27)), and endorsing more ICD-10 criteria for tobacco dependence (1.19(1.04-1.36)) were also associated with poor sleep quality. CONCLUSION: Cigarette smoking and ND symptoms are associated with poor sleep quality in young adult smokers. Advice from practitioners to cut back on number of cigarettes smoked per day and treatment of ND symptoms may improve sleep quality in young adult smokers.