Background: The relationships of obesity, smoking, drinking, and lack of exercise to mental health and stress were evaluated in separate community samples of men and women.
Results: Among men, the only significant positive relationship was between history of depression and smoking. Among women, four psychosocial factors were associated with smoking: history of depression, increased marital conflict, greater number of undesirable life events, and full-time employment. Depression and marital conflict were also associated with higher drinking levels, and full-time employment was associated with lack of exercise. History of emotional disorders was not found to exacerbate the effects of stress on poor health behaviors. However, some combinations of stress were detrimental. Among men, the joint effect of high job demands and low decision latitude was significantly associated with a greater likelihood of smoking. Among women, the interaction of full-time employment and greater marital conflict was associated with increased alcohol use.
Conclusion: These results emphasize the importance of considering gender-specific risk factors in the design of intervention programs.