Abstract
INTRODUCTION: We conducted the first epidemiologic study to examine the dose-response relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the likelihood of reporting an overall cancer diagnosis, along with the association between overweight or obese and cancer diagnosis among college students in the United States. METHODS: The American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA) self-reported, cross-sectional data on demographic information, physical activity, BMI, smoking status, and overall cancer from 2019 to 2022 (n = 275,185; 0.08% cancer cases) were used. A cubic spline model and logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate associations between BMI and the likelihood of reporting a cancer diagnosis, adjusting for relevant covariates. RESULTS: The cubic spline observed that higher BMI (kg/m(2)) was associated with a greater likelihood of reporting an overall cancer diagnosis after adjusting for age, sex, race, ethnicity, education level, physical activity, and smoking status (p for linear relation = 0.02 and p for overall association < 0.0001). Specifically, each 1 kg/m(2) increase in BMI was associated with a 1% increase in the odds of a cancer diagnosis. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analyses revealed that both overweight (30 > BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2)) [odds ratio (OR): 1.20 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.08-1.34)], and obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2)) [1.48 (1.32-1.65)] were positively associated with a cancer diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Higher BMI, especially overweight/obesity, was associated with a greater likelihood of reporting a cancer diagnosis among college students in the United States. To prevent and control cancer, targeted interventions aimed at maintaining a healthy weight in this population are warranted.