ABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate the lifestyle of students at the University of Bahrain and to determine the prevalence of diseases and behavioral risk factors
Design: A Cross-Sectional Study
Setting: University of Bahrain, Bahrain
Method: Nine hundred sixty-six students enrolled in the academic year 2011/2012 from all educational levels seeking bachelor degree at the University of Bahrain were included in the study
Result: Two hundred and thirty-eight [24.6%] males and 728 [75.4%] females were included in the study. The participants' age ranged between 18 and 21 years. Five hundred and twenty-four [54.2%] students had normal weight, 192 [19.9%] were overweight and 133 [13.8%] were obese. Eight hundred two [83%] presented with normal waist/hip ratio [WHR]. Eighty-three [34.9%] males and 81 [11.1%] females presented with central obesity. Seven [0.7%] students had high blood sugar level. Nine [3.8%] males presented with systolic blood pressure [SBP] >140 mmHg and 5 [0.7%] females presented with SBP >140 mmHg. Three hundred twenty-six [44.8%] females had anemia compared to 78 [32.8%] males. Four [1.7%] males were diabetic compared to 7 [1%] females. Five hundred and fifty-four [57.3%] students reported physical activity for thirty or more minutes/day. One hundred six [44.5%] males and 36 [4.9%] females were smokers. Two hundred twenty-nine [31.5%] females have checked their blood sugar level during the past 12 months and only 47 [19.7%] males did
Conclusion: The study emphasizes the importance of providing periodic measurements of diabetes as well as the importance of early detection of diseases and health risks. In addition, the importance of participating in regular physical activities as a prevention measure from diseases associated with a sedentary lifestyle