Association Between Indicators of Nutritional Status and Psychological Distress in Medical Students in Slovakia

Medical students, despite their advanced knowledge of health and prevention, often adopt unhealthy lifestyle habits due to academic pressure, affecting both physical and mental well-being. This study examined the relationship between nutritional status – body mass index, percent of body fat and visceral fat level— and indicators of negative affect — neuroticism, anxiety, perceived long-term stress and current stress —among 637 General Medicine students, aged 21.4 ± 2.4 years, at Comenius University in Bratislava (68.8% female). Correlation analysis and between group comparison were performed to study the relationship between indicators of nutritional status and negative affect, p < 0.05 was considered significant. Based on body mass index, prevalence of obesity was 4.2%, of overweight 19.5% and of underweight 6.9%. There were notable discrepancies in categorisation of students according to body mass index and body composition measures, with distinct gender-specific patterns. Higher scores in psychological scales were generally observed toward categories or quartiles with higher body mass, body fat percentage and visceral fat level, though statistical significance varied. In females, this tendency was more obvious when comparing groups of different body mass index, while in males, percentage of body fat and visceral fat level were more indicative. Underweight students also showed slightly elevated scores, though not significantly. Our findings highlight the importance of gender-specific approaches and the inclusion of body composition analysis in evaluating nutritional status. Both conditions diverging from standard nutritional status—underweight and overweight/obesity—may be linked to psychological distress, highlighting the complex interplay between physical and mental well-being.