A cross-sectional assessment of obesity among medical students of central India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v15i5.63561Keywords:
Obesity; Medical students; Physical activity; Socioeconomic statusAbstract
Background: Obesity is one of the leading public health problems, emerging and evolving across the ages from childhood, adolescence, young adults, and middle age to the geriatric sphere of life. The young adult age group also includes the special population of medical students with possible unique stressors and risk factors requiring special attention.
Aims and Objectives: The current study was planned with the objectives of studying obesity among medical students with a focus on determining the prevalence of obesity problem and associated socioeconomic level and lifestyle variables; dietary calorie intake and physical activity.
Materials and Methods: The current study is a cross-sectional survey conducted using a pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire among MBBS students of central India. A total of 400 students were interviewed. Body mass index (BMI) was used to identify and the World Health Organization classification (WHO) was used to categorize the students in nutritional levels. Physical activity level was assessed using the General Practice Physical Activity Questionnaire. Socioeconomic status (SES) was assessed using the Modified Prasad Classification and All India Consumer Price Index. Dietary calorie intake was assessed using 24-h oral questionnaire method.
Results: The current study finds a prevalence of 7.5% obesity among medical students with another 10% in the pre-obese category as per the WHO classification. It was also found that Male gender, inactivity, and upper SES were significantly associated with the obesity prevailing in this special population of medical students.
Conclusion: The current study concludes that obesity/pre-obesity is an important problem prevalent among medical students with association with sedentary lifestyle and high SES; thus, recommends screening students for lifestyle disease, dietary modification, change in sedentary lifestyle, and recreational activities to reduce stress.
Downloads
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- The journal holds copyright and publishes the work under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license that permits use, distribution and reprduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. The journal should be recognised as the original publisher of this work.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
