Background: Obesity can negatively impact the overall quality of life and reduce life expectancy. It is often associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus Type 2, obstructive sleep apnea, cancers, osteoarthritis, and psychological issues. The prevalence of obesity is rising among medical students. Since obesity and its related complications are emerging as a major global health concern, we designed to study the prevalence of obesity in medical students. This study might promote positive health awareness among medical students.
Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to study the prevalence of obesity among undergraduate medical students at the tertiary care center of North India.
Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional and observational study of 399 undergraduate medical (MBBS) students at Shri Ram Murti Smarak Institute of Medical Sciences, Bareilly. The medical students were informed about the study, and written consent was taken from all the students. Both body mass index (BMI) and body fat composition were measured. The collected data were assessed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software version 20.
Results: Our study had 261 (65%) males and 138 (35%) females. BMI results showed overweight in 75 students (18.79%) and obesity in 156 students (39.09%). Out of 261 male students, 102 (39%) had a waist circumference >90 cm and among 138 female students, 75 (54%) had a waist circumference >80 cm. Among 261 male students, 182 (70%) had high total body fat measurements. Out of 138 female students, 88 (63.7%) had high total body fat composition.
Conclusion: Obesity can result from a combination of genetic, environmental, social, behavioral, and metabolic factors. The prevalence of overweight and obesity is rising among medical students. This study showed the prevalence of obesity in medical students at our center.
This might promote positive health awareness among medical students.
Key words: Obesity; Visceral Fat; Medical Students
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