Background: Obesity has turned into a worldwide epidemic. The alarming rise in overweight and obesity among the young people, which forms a key link to the rise of other noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and myocardial infarction, is the most important concern. Medical society is expected to have an ideal health.
Objective: To assess the body mass index (BMI) of the medical undergraduate students.
Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in the Department of Community Medicine among 150 students; Data were collected using pretested questionnaire from 130 students after taking an informed consent. The height and weight of the students were measured, and the BMI was calculated.
Result: Among the 130 students, the mean + SD height of the students was 1.67 + 0.09 m, while the mean weight was 66.61 + SD 12.71 kg and the mean BMI 23.54 + SD 3.09 kg/m2. Normal BMI was observed in 73.1% students, while 22.3% students were overweight, 3.1% obese, and only, 1.5% underweight. Overweight and obesity were significantly more in male than female students.
Conclusion: The study gives an idea about the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in the medical students. Our study reinforces the need for creating wakefulness among this population about the positive effects of normal nutritional status.
Key words: Overweight, BMI, medical students
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