ABSTRACT
@#Introduction: University students had high risk of unhealthy lifestyle habits such as being sedentary and having poor dietary choices due to higher cost of healthy food and the wide availability of fast food. These may contribute to overweight, obesity and co-morbidities. The aim of the study was to determine the association of food choices motives, physical activity (PA) level and body mass index status among undergraduates in Universiti Sains Malaysia. Methods: A total of 125 undergraduate students were recruited. Self-reported online questionnaire was administered to obtain information about sociodemographic information, anthropometric measurements, food choice motives using Food Choices Questionnaire and physical activity using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. The association between food choice motive, PA and body mass index was assessed using Spearman correlation and Fisher`s Exact Test. Results: The three most important food choice motives are religion, price and sensory appeal. A total of 16% of the subjects were underweight, 19.2% were overweight and 11.2% were obese. 21.6% of the students had low PA level. There was significant inverse association between sensory appeal and BMI (p = 0.002, r = - 0.269). Physical activity was not significantly different between BMI categories. Conclusion: Those who have lower BMI reported to have greater sensory appeal, but association between PA and body mass index had no significant difference. Future studies are required for understanding the direct impact of food choice motives on dietary quality and its association with PA motivation and BMI status for reducing the prevalence of obesity among undergraduates.
ABSTRACT
To study coronary artery disease [CAD] risk factors predicting positive thallium-201 single photon emission computed tomography [SPECT] indicating underlying CAD among patients of end stage renal disease. This cross-sectional [analytical] study was done at Department of Cardiology, Punjab Institute of Cardiology, from April 2004 to Dec 2007. One hundred consecutive patients with ESRD undergoing thallium SPECT as a routine screening test before renal transplant were studied. Dipyridamole thallium SPECT was performed in patients who were unable to exercise. Thallium SPECT was positive in 47 [47%] cases. There were significant differences in age, underlying diabetic nephropathy and total cholesterol levels among patients positive and negative on thallium SPECT. Among the risk factors age and underlying diabetic nephropathy were significantly associated [p<0.05] with a positive thallium SPECT in patients with ESRD. Positive thallium SPECT indicating underlying CAD was observed in a significant number of patients with ESRD awaiting renal transplant. Presence of advanced age and underlying diabetic nephropathy predict a positive thallium SPECT in this population