A Cross Sectional Study of Proportion and Determinants of Overweight and Obesity among Undergraduate Medical Students of a City in Western Gujarat

Abstract

Introduction: Obesity is one of the major lifestyle disorders in India and its incidence has rapidly increased during recent decades. Medical students are more prone for obesity, due to, their sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, disordered eating habits, increased stress. Objective: To find the proportion of overweight/obesity among medical students and identify the contributing/associated factors. Method: A cross-sectional study was done among 435 medical students aged 18-23 years. Height and weight were measured. Body mass index (BMI) cut off was taken as Asian cut-off. Dietary habits like vegetarian/mix vegetarian, frequency of consumption of fast foods were assessed. Along with-it Physical activity and positive family history of obesity and overweight were also assessed. Approval was taken from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Data was analysed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS. Results: Proportion of overweight 14.25% and obesity 8.73% was obtained among medical students. There was statistically not significant association between proportion of generalized obesity noted in males compared to females. There is statistically significant higher chance of being overweight/obese when sedentary time is >2 hours and with increasing junk food frequency. Conclusion: Medical students have a high proportion of obesity and are thus more prone for obesity-related risks. The present study will help in enhancing self-awareness among the medical students for practising healthy life style.