Body Mass Index, Percent Body Fat and Visceral Fat in Relation to Dietary Fat and Fiber Intake among University Females

Abstract

Recent economic upliftment has brought many changes in the food choices and eating habits from home made to fast foods. This shift in the area of nutrition has given rise to overweight and obesity. Considering this the present study was planned to 1) determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a sample of university students 2) Find the relationship between the body composition and dietary fat and fibre intake. A total of 300 university females, 18-30+ years were randomly selected from all the colleges at the University of Hail for the present study. A Self-administered questionnaire was given, and the Body composition were measured with the help of bio-electric impedance analysis technique. Data were analysed using SPSS -17 software. The results indicated that 22% of the students were overweight and 21.3% were obese. The mean percent body fat as well as visceral fat exceeded its normal limits in around 44% of the participants. Vegetables and fruits, except dates, were not frequently consumed by most of the participants with a mean intake of fibre as 14g/day. Significant positive correlations were found among Body Mass Index (BMI), Body Fat% and Visceral Fat level. Strong positive correlation was also found between BMI and fat intake (P< 0.01), whereas the body composition and fiber intake was found to be inversely correlated (P<0.01). Findings of present study suggest that there is need for coordinated efforts at all levels to reduce the prevalence of obesity and high percentage of body fat, and to develop healthy eating habits in young generation.