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Background <p>Mental health in adolescents is a public health issue with both immediate and long-term implications. Several studies have demonstrated that Body Mass Index (BMI) and self-efficacy are associated with this issue, although they have generally been examined independently. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the predictive role of BMI and self-efficacy in mental health in a sample of Peruvian adolescents.</p> Method <p>The research was non-experimental and predictive in nature. The sample consisted of 343 students (49.6% male and 50.4% female), aged 12 to 17 years (M = 14.71; SD = 1.08), from a public educational institution in Metropolitan Lima, Peru. The sample was selected through non-probabilistic, purposive sampling. The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) and the Mental Health Inventory (R-MHI-5) were used, and BMI was measured using Quetelet’s formula.</p> Results <p>The results showed a significant relationship between BMI and mental health, as well as between self-efficacy and mental health (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). Additionally, no statistically significant differences were found between BMI, self-efficacy, and mental health according to gender and age (<i>p</i> &gt; 0.05). Moreover, multiple regression analysis revealed that the predictor variables BMI and self-efficacy explained 25.1% (<i>adjusted</i> R<sup>2</sup>) of the variability in adolescent mental health. The standardized coefficients (β) indicated that self-efficacy (0.452) had a greater impact on the prediction of mental health than BMI (-0.202).</p> Conclusions <p>These findings demonstrate that self-efficacy, understood as adolescents’ personal beliefs about their ability to control their lives and solve problems, has a more significant impact on their mental health than their body mass index (BMI). Therefore, it is recommended that educational and public health interventions aimed at improving mental health adopt a holistic approach that integrates both physical and nutritional components (BMI) as well as psychological components (self-efficacy).</p>

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What has a greater influence on adolescent mental health: BMI or self-efficacy? Evidence from a Peruvian sample

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年7月2日

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  • Daniela Huanca-Cachicatari,
  • Raquel Navarro-Carrasco,
  • David Javier-Aliaga,
  • Bertha Chanducas Lozano,
  • Yaquelin E. Calizaya-Milla,
  • Jacksaint Saintila

摘要

Background

Mental health in adolescents is a public health issue with both immediate and long-term implications. Several studies have demonstrated that Body Mass Index (BMI) and self-efficacy are associated with this issue, although they have generally been examined independently. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the predictive role of BMI and self-efficacy in mental health in a sample of Peruvian adolescents.

Method

The research was non-experimental and predictive in nature. The sample consisted of 343 students (49.6% male and 50.4% female), aged 12 to 17 years (M = 14.71; SD = 1.08), from a public educational institution in Metropolitan Lima, Peru. The sample was selected through non-probabilistic, purposive sampling. The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) and the Mental Health Inventory (R-MHI-5) were used, and BMI was measured using Quetelet’s formula.

Results

The results showed a significant relationship between BMI and mental health, as well as between self-efficacy and mental health (p < 0.001). Additionally, no statistically significant differences were found between BMI, self-efficacy, and mental health according to gender and age (p > 0.05). Moreover, multiple regression analysis revealed that the predictor variables BMI and self-efficacy explained 25.1% (adjusted R2) of the variability in adolescent mental health. The standardized coefficients (β) indicated that self-efficacy (0.452) had a greater impact on the prediction of mental health than BMI (-0.202).

Conclusions

These findings demonstrate that self-efficacy, understood as adolescents’ personal beliefs about their ability to control their lives and solve problems, has a more significant impact on their mental health than their body mass index (BMI). Therefore, it is recommended that educational and public health interventions aimed at improving mental health adopt a holistic approach that integrates both physical and nutritional components (BMI) as well as psychological components (self-efficacy).