scholarly journals Prevalence of obesity and dietary habits of university students: a cross-sectional study

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 180-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Sabbir Ahmed ◽  
Kanij Fatima Anee ◽  
Mohammad Tazrian Abid ◽  
Md Oashkuruni Hridoy ◽  
Al Riaj Hasan ◽  
...  

The objectives of this study was to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a sample of students from the Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Bangladesh and examine their usual eating habits. A cross-sectional survey of 260 students (65.38% male and 34.62% female) aged 20.81 ± 1.63 were chosen randomly from the Patuakhali Science and Technology University campus during May to July 2019. Students were asked to fill out a self-reported questionnaire that included questions on their eating, drinking and smoking habits. Also, their weight, height and body mass index were measured. Body mass index (BMI) was used to assess students' weight status. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS software (version 23.0). Results shows that, majority of the students (67.3%) were of normal weight. Based on BMI classification, the prevalence of overweight was more common among the male students compared to females (23.5% vs. 10%). In contrast, prevalence of obesity was more common among female students (3.3% vs. 2.9%). A significant difference in BMI was observed between male and female students (p <0.01). The majority of the students (70.4%) reported that they took meals regularly. In terms of breakfast intake, less than half of the students (44.6%) reported that they took their breakfast daily. There was a significant gender difference in the frequency of snacks intake apart from regular meal (p <0.05). Female students were more prone to snacks consumption compared with male students. The unhealthy eating habits of the students was indicated by the fact that near about half of the students (46%) reported eating fried food daily or three to four times per week. Soft drinks consumption among the students were significantly associated with gender (p <0.05). The present results suggest the necessity of nutrition and health promotion programs for university students, especially programs emphasizing weight management. Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. June 2019, 5(3): 180-185

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 845-850
Author(s):  
Jun Wang ◽  
Yan Chen ◽  
Yuelong Jin ◽  
Lijun Zhu ◽  
Yingshui Yao

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of overweight and obesity and its association with sleep quality in university students from the Anhui province in China. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in China with 1328 participants. The prevalence of underweight and obesity in university students was estimated according to the reference working group on obesity in China. The sleep quality was evaluated using the standard PSQI (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index). RESULTS: This study included 470 male and 858 female students from a university in Anhui; 4.4% of the females and 17.7% of the males were overweight or obese. The prevalence of obesity in males was significantly higher than in females, and the prevalence of obesity in higher years was greater than in other years (p<0.05). In general, the mean score for sleep quality was 4.91±2.67; 36.5% of male and 39.1% of female students had poor sleep quality (PSQI score >5). Among the seven components of sleep quality, sleep duration and the use of sleep medication showed significant differences between male and female students and different years (p<0.05). An obvious correlation was found between sleep quality and body mass index (BMI)(p<0.000) in females who took hypnotic drugs. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the sleep quality of females is probably associated with their BMI. College students are a special group of young adults whose cause of poor sleeping quality and BMI may be significant to study, so the health status of university students can be improved.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Md Nure Alom Siddiqui ◽  
Muhammad Afsar Siddiqui ◽  
Shahnaj Sultana ◽  
Tamanna Sharif ◽  
ARM Saifuddin Ekram

Objectives: To determine the BMI status of the students of Rajshahi Islami Bank Medical College and to calculate frequency of different BMI categoriesMethodology: A cross-sectional questionnaire based study was carried out in medical students of Rajshahi Islami Bank Medical College, Rajshahi. Body weight and height were measured and body mass index (BMI) values were calculated by dividing weight with (height) 2. Overweight and obesity were defined using WHO international standard BMI cut-offs.Results: The overall prevalence of underweight students was 29.9% out of which 9.6% fell under the category of severely underweight (BMI of <16.5). In overweight category there were 8%. The frequency of students falling in Obese Class I, II & III was 2.7%, 0.6% & 0.0% respectively. It was found that more female students compared to male students were underweight. In the overweight and obese categories there was a preponderance of male students. A positive correlation was found between perception of obesity amongst parents and overweight obese students.Conclusion: According to this study, underweight, especially in girls, should be considered a serious health problem among adolescent students which needs to be addressed. Obesity on the other hand does not seem to be a major issue amongst them.TAJ 2014; 27(2): 1-5


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 30-38
Author(s):  
Sakinah Harith ◽  
Nik Noor Sabiha Nik Mohd Zaib ◽  
Asheila Meramat

The objective of this study is to determine the relationship between nutritional status and hand grip strength among university students in Kuala Nerus and assess the relationships between BMI and physical activity with hand grip among students. University students (N = 80, mean age 21.8 ± 1.4 years) that included 36 males and 44 females were recruited using a convenient sampling technique from two universities which is Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) in a cross sectional study in  Kuala Nerus, Terengganu. Weight and height were measured and body mass index were calculated. Hand grip strength was measured too using Takei Digital Grip Strength Dynamometer. Furthermore, eating habits and level of physical activity were self-reported by the students using FFQ adopted from MANS and IPAQ questionnaire. The prevalence of underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity were 7.4%, 66.3%, 17.5%, and 8.8% respectively. Male have slightly higher intake of calories, carbohydrates and fat with mean value of 2229 kcal, 295.3 g and 66.8 g respectively compared to female with calories of 2126 kcal, carbohydrates of 283 g and fat of 64.2 g. Meanwhile, most of the students involved in this study were classified as being moderately active (65%) followed by low physical activity (28.8%) and the least goes to the high physical activity category (6.2%). Furthermore, male subjects had a higher value of handgrip strength in both right (32.3 kg) and left hand (28.2 kg) as compared to female subjects that was 20.0 kg on the right hand while 17.6 kg on the left hand. The present study also showed that males had a higher percentage of overweight and obesity than females and there was a significant association between body mass index and gender as well as gender and hand grip strength (p<0.05). There were also significant association observed between BMI and physical activity with hand grip strength meanwhile, there is no association between dietary intakes (protein) with grip strength (p<0.05).  Keywords: eating habits, hand grip strength, BMI, physical activity


Diseases ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Sara Taleb ◽  
Leila Itani

(1) Background: Adolescence is a period of increased autonomy and independent decision making; it determines health behaviors that can persist into the future. Individual factors like food choices and unhealthy lifestyle have an essential role in the development and prevention of obesity among adolescents and are associated with the nutrition literacy of parents and other adults. While the association of parents’ nutrition literacy with adolescent BMI has been addressed, there is still a scarcity of studies that examine the effect of adolescents’ nutrition literacy on their eating habits and body mass index (BMI) status. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted that included 189 adolescents (68 with overweight and obesity and 121 with normal weight) aged between 14–19 years from four private schools in Tripoli, Lebanon. A self-administered questionnaire that included the Nutrition Literacy Assessment Instrument (NLAI) and the Adolescent Food Habits Checklist (AFHC) was used. Anthropometrics were measured using standardized procedures. The association between nutrition literacy, food habits and BMI was assessed using a chi squared test for independence and Poisson regression analysis where suitable. (3) Results: Results indicated no association between all five components of nutrition literacy and body mass index categories. Furthermore, there was no association between the Adolescent Food Habits Checklist and overweight or obese BMI status (RR = 0.947, 95%CI: 0.629–1.426) (p = 0.796). No association was observed between nutrition literacy and food habits, except for an inverse association with macronutrients literacy. (4) Conclusions: In conclusion, the study indicated that there was no association between the components of nutrition literacy with body mass index or with food habits, except for macronutrient literacy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-15

Introduction: Obesity and overweight are one of the health problems that critically increasing nowadays in worldwide including Malaysia due to lifestyle changes such as inactive lifestyle as well as unhealthy eating habit. This study, therefore is to find if there is a relationship between obesity and overweight with the intake of vitamin D and calcium rich foods to see if there is any difference intake between normal, obesity and overweight group. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 255 Management and Science University students (MSU) who having a normal, overweight and obesity of body mass index. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaire consisting of two part which is sociodemographic questions and Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Result: For calcium intake, there is a significant association between body mass index (BMI) and calcium which is (p = 0.008) respectively and there is no significant association between BMI and Vitamin D intake (p = 0.594) Conclusion: The study found that there is a relationships between obesity and overweight with intake of calcium rich food and no relationship between obesity and overweight with the intake of Vitamin D. Further study are needed to build causal relationships and develop preventative measures.


KYAMC Journal ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 472-475
Author(s):  
Hafiza Akhter ◽  
Nasim Jahan ◽  
Nasim Jahan ◽  
Fazle Mahmud ◽  
Fazle Mahmud ◽  
...  

Background: Body mass index is a valuable tool to assess the nutritional status of an individual. It can be conveniently used to identify those who are underweight, overweight or obese.Objective: To determine the BMI status of medical students.Methods: This cross sectional descriptive study was carried out in the Department of Physiology, Sir Salimullah Medical College, Dhaka from July 2009 to June 2010. A total number of 264 students of both sexes, age ranged from 19 to 21 years were included. A structured questionnaire was used to collect and record the information on age, sex, height in meters and weight in kilograms of each subject. The measurements were taken under supervision using a standardized weighing machine, height measuring scale and measuring tape. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated using the formula weight (in kilogram)/ height2 (in meter). Using cut off points from World Health Organization (WHO) criteria BMI was classified. Statistical analysis was done by using SPSS version 16.Result: Mean BMI of male students was 21.64 and of female students was 23.52. In this study, the prevalence of overweight was 20.5% and obesity was 4.5% while 63.6% of the students were within normal weight range and 11.3% were underweight. Among the male students 9.35% were underweight, 76.97% were normal weight, 10.07% were overweight, 3.59% were obese and among female students it was 13.6%, 48.8%, 32% and 4.54% respectively.Conclusion: This study reveals that overweight is a rising problem for both male and female medical students. Moreover, overweight and underweight issues are more common in female students.KYAMC Journal Vol. 5, No.-1, Jul 2014, Page 472-475


Author(s):  
Violet K. Moselakgomo ◽  
Marlise Van Staden

Background: Prevalence of obesity in youths has drastically increased in both industrialised and non-industrialised countries, and this transition resulted in an increased prevalence of chronic diseases.Aim: The study aimed to comparatively examine prevalence of overweight and obesity status based on tri-ponderal mass index and body mass index in estimating body fat levels in South African children.Setting: The study was conducted in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa.Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 1361 (boys: n = 678; girls: n = 683) children aged 9–13 years was undertaken. The children’s age and sex-related measurements of body weight, waist-to-height ratio, waist-to-hip ratio, triceps skinfold, subscapular skinfolds and sum of skinfold were taken using the International Society for Advancement of Kinanthropometry protocol. TMI and BMI calculations classified children according to weight and age categories. Descriptive statistics, Spearman’s correlations and multiple linear regression analyses were set at ≤ 0.05.Results: Obesity classifications on TMI and BMI among children were as follows: Boys: 7.3%, 2.6%; 2.2%, 0.7%; Girls: 4.0%, 1.0%; 1.8%, 0.6%. Body weight, WHtR, WHpR, TSKF, SSKF and ΣSKF significantly correlated with TMI (r = 0.40, p 0.001; r = 0.73, p 0.001; r = −0.09, p 0.001; r = 0.50, p 0.001; r = 0.51, p 0.001 and r = 0.52, p 0.001) and BMI (r = 0.81, p 0.001; r = 0.59, p 0.001; r = −0.22, p 0.001; r = 0.63, p 0.001; r = 0.67, p 0.001 and r = 0.66, p 0.001). Regression analysis revealed that body weight, WHtR, WHpR, TSKF, SSKF and ΣSKF accounted for 65% and 85% of variance in children’s TMI (R2 = 0.647, F[6 1354] = 413.977, p 0.001) and BMI (R2 = 0.851, F[6 1354] = 1288.218, p 0.001).Conclusion: TMI revealed strikingly higher incidence of overweight and obesity in South African boys and girls than BMI. Future studies are needed to clarify sensitivity of TMI over BMI in quantifying obesity prevalence in children and adolescents.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-26
Author(s):  
Aida Aliah Abu Bakar ◽  
Napisah Hussin ◽  
Abbe Maleyki Mhd. Jalil ◽  
Marhazlina Mohamad

Overweight and obesity are major health concerns in Malaysia, which are linked to other health consequences such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and several others. Among dietary factors, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are reported to be one of the leading factors of weight gain and a higher body mass index (BMI). Sugar-sweetened beverages are beverages with added sugar that only add calories to an individual’s normal diet and they represent the largest contributor to the added sugars intake. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence of SSB consumption among university students in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, as well as to investigate the association between the students’ SSB consumption and their BMI. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 350 Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) Gong Badak Campus and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) students by using the convenience sampling. Each participant was given a questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic details, anthropometric assessment and beverage intake. The results revealed that half of the students consumed 2 cups (500 mL) of SSBs on average days (49.4%), whereas 21.7% of them consumed at least 3 cups daily. It was found that sweetened tea was the students’ most preferred SSB and there was also an association between the SSB consumption and the BMI. In conclusion, university students in Kuala Nerus drink 2 cups of SSBs daily and sweetened tea is their preferred SSB. Since the students’ SSB consumption influences their BMI, these students must be aware on the contents of SSB and the related health consequences in order to reduce the consumption of these beverages and hence, reduce their BMI to a healthy level.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waqar Al-Kubaisy ◽  
Nik Nairan Abdullah ◽  
Sabzali Musa Kahn ◽  
Maram Zia

To estimate the prevalence and identify risk factors that may be associated with acne among university students in Syria, a cross-sectional study was conducted in the Syrian International University for Science and Technology in December 2009. A sample of 500 students was chosen. Each participant was subjected to an interview and clinical examination of acne in addition to height and weight measurements. Acne prevalence was 34.7% (172/496). Male students had higher rate of acne compared to females (42.9% versus 23.6%, P<0.0001) and their acne started significantly at a younger age (18.13 versus 19.04 years old, P<0.0001). Face was the commonest site for acne in both males and females. Washing face frequently per day in both sexes has a significant relation with a decreased prevalence of acne. Moreover, psychological stress particularly when the students were away from family was associated with a significant higher rate of acne. We found that the prevalence of acne steadily increased with increasing body mass index. Acne is a health and psychological problem among university students particularly when affecting the face. Several factors such as gender, body mass index, and stress were found to be associated with acne formation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (12) ◽  
pp. 463-466
Author(s):  
Salma Arini Putri ◽  
Choesnan Effendi ◽  
Asami Rietta Kumala

The prevalence of obesity in women in Indonesia is increasing. Obesity is characterized by excess BMI and fat mass in the body. High body fat mass is associated with metabolic diseases and blood pressure (BP). The research design was cross-sectional, involved the students of the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Hang Tuah Surabaya in July 2019. Sampling was done using stratified random sampling with 48 female volunteers who were grouped into 16 volunteers each semester. In students of Semester II, the average BMI was 21.2±2.4 kg/m2, Skinfold Thickness (SFT) 54.6±9.9 mm, BP 109±9.6/71±8.3 mmHg. In students of Semester IV, the average BMI was 23±3.5 kg/m2, SFT 48±14.10 mm, BP 109±9.7/77±7 mmHg. In students of Semester VI, the average BMI was 24.33±4.72 kg/m2, SFT 69.87±21.54 mm, BP 122±8.9/84±11mmHg. The correlation coefficient of SFT and Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) was 0.697, SFT and Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) was 0.362, BMI and SBP was 0.355, while BMI and DBP 0.171. There was a correlation between SFT and SBP and DBP, BMI and SBP in female students of semester II, IV and VI. Keywords: skinfold thickness (SFT); body mass index; blood pressure


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