University students’ views of obesity and weight management strategies

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the knowledge and views of university students regarding obesity and weight management strategies. Design: Online questionnaire-based survey of undergraduate and postgraduate university students in a large London university with a diverse student population. Method: The survey was administered online and circulated through the university’s email. The questionnaire sought the following data: demographic data; knowledge and beliefs regarding obesity, weight management strategies, barriers to weight management and perceived responsibility for tackling obesity Results: The sample comprised: female (73.0 per cent), white (80.6 per cent), mean age of 25.4 years (SD 7.66), undergraduates (59.9 per cent), studying health-related courses (65.2 per cent). About half of the participants (49.3 per cent) reported that their body shape was normal with a minority (3.3 per cent) indicating that they were obese. Obesity (68.1 per cent) was viewed as being the most important public health issue, with most participants (94.1 per cent) reporting that obesity had increased over the last 10 years. Lack of physical exercise and poor diet were identified by more than 90 per cent of the participants as causes of obesity. Most management strategies were supported by the majority of the participants. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that the complex nature of obesity is generally understood, suggesting that health education has been partially successful. Overall, there was support for obesity management strategies which can be built on.