EMERGENCE OF FAD DIETS AND OBESITY RELATED PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

The prevalence of obesity is increasing day by day and is becoming a serious issue worldwide. Obesity leads to different chronic diseases such as diabetes, CVD, hypertension etc. In attempts to lose weight faster people try different diets and Fad diets are a part of these diets. Keto genic diet, Atkins diet, vegan diet, liquid diet are some examples of these diets. Objective: To assess the emergence of fad diets and obesity related perceptions and practices among university students. Methods: A cross sectional study design with a sample size of 100 students were randomly selected from 4 different universities; University of Lahore, LUMS, Forman Christian College and Superior University. Data was collected from the participants through a questionnaire. Results: Questions regarding knowledge and perceptions about obesity and fad diets were asked to which majority of the participants answered that they knew about BMI and it being a major indicator of obesity (73%). When they were asked about knowledge of obesity related to diet and sleep 88% agreed to it being interlinked while 19% disagreed. Upon asking what the respondents thought was the main cause of weight gain 14% replied junk food, 22% replied to lack of exercise, 27% said unhealthy eating practices but majority 35% outlined lack of exercise combined with unhealthy eating practices as the foremost cause of increasing rates of obesity. When asked if the participants followed any fad diets they answered with different diets; 12 respondents followed Atkins, 20 followed keto, 7 followed vegans, 4 followed liquid diet, and 32 followed other fad diets while 32 participants didn’t follow any fad diet. The correlation between fad diets and their effectiveness was determined and the results showed a significant correlation (p<0.05). Most of the participants were females (57 females and 43 males) and through the present study it was evaluated that mostly females followed such fad diets as compared to males. Conclusion: Fad diets have been in trend from a long time and people mainly follow it to lose weight quickly and to get into a certain body shape. However, restricting specific food groups leads to drawback that cause health issues. Following a fad diet is short-term solution to obesity that can be reversed easily by slipping back into old eating patterns. The long-term solution to obesity is to eat a healthy balanced diet and to be physically active.