Association of Perceived Stress and Mid-Upper Arm Circumference with Muscle Performance Assessed by Mosso's Ergography in Young Adults of South India : A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Young adults often experience high levels of stress due to academic pressure, lifestyle changes, and social factors. With the impact of stress being profound on all human systems, understanding the relationship between stress, diet, physical activity, anthropometric measures and muscle performance is important for promoting both mental and physical well-being. The primary objective of the present study was to correlate the perceived stress levels, anthropometric measures and work done calculated using Mosso’s Ergograph in young adults Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among healthy young adults (n=300), aged 18–25 years. Basic demographic details and anthropometric measures were recorded. Perceived stress was measured using the Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Work done was evaluated using Mosso’s ergography. Statistical methods were employed to study associations between PSS scores, work done and other variables. Results: The study sample comprised of 300 healthy young adults (Male: 41.3%, Female: 58.7%) with a median age of 19 years (IQR: 18–22). Majority of the participants (78.3%) experienced moderate levels of perceived stress. Females had significant higher stress levels than males. Mean work done was 24 ± 10 kg.m2s2. About 60% of the study participants demonstrated excellent endurance based on work done using Mosso’s ergography while 23.7% exhibited good endurance, 14% showed average performance, and 2% had poor endurance. Males (84.7%) achieved >20J of work when compared to females (43.2%), indicating excellent endurance performance among males. The association between dietary pattern, BMI, MUAC and work done was not statistically significant. A statistically significant but weak negative correlation was observed between work done and perceived stress scores (p = 0.019). Conclusion: Higher levels of perceived stress was associated with decreased muscle strength. The findings highlighted the need for awareness on the importance of physical activity and lifestyle modifications, especially among students experiencing increased stress and a decline in muscle performance.