Association between screen time and body mass index among university students / Associação entre tempo de tela e índice de massa corporal entre estudantes universitários

AIMS: Screen time has been proven to be associated with overweight and obesity among pediatric. However, the relationship between these two variables has not been confirmed among university students in Malaysia who are having increasing screen time. Hence, this study is conducted to examine the association between screen time and body mass index (BMI) among university students. METHODS: A total of 390 university students (female=236, male=154) with a mean age of 20.17 years old were involved in this study. They completed the Screen Time Based Sedentary Behaviour Questionnaire for total screen time assessment. Body height and weight were measured to calculate body mass index (BMI). RESULTS: Prevalence of overweight and obesity were not high among university students (12.3% and 4.4%). Male subjects have generally higher BMI compared to female subjects. The smartphone was the most common device owned by subjects (33%). The screen time of subjects was high as there were 97.4% of subjects fell under the category of high screen time (>2 hours). However, screen time was not significantly associated with BMI (p=0.36). The only variable which associated with screen time was the devices owned by subjects (p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Screen time was not significantly associated with BMI among university students. Future study should include the relationship of other factors on BMI among university students.

OBJETIVOS: Foi demonstrado que o tempo de tela está associado ao sobrepeso e à obesidade nos pacientes pediátricos. No entanto, a relação entre essas duas variáveis não foi confirmada entre estudantes universitários na Malásia, que estão tendo um aumento no tempo de tela. Desse modo, o objetivo desses estudo é avaliar a associação entre tempo de tela e o indice de massa corporal (IMC) entre estudantes universitários. MÉTODOS: Um total de 390 estudantes universitários (sexo feminino=236, masculino=154) com idade média de 20,17 anos foram envolvidos neste estudo. Eles completaram o Questionário de Comportamento Sedentário Baseado no Tempo de Tela para avaliação total do tempo de tela. A altura corporal e o peso foram medidos para calcular o índice de massa corporal (IMC). RESULTADOS: A prevalência de sobrepeso e obesidade não foi alta entre os universitários (12,3% e 4,4%). Indivíduos do sexo masculino têm geralmente um IMC mais alto em comparação com indivíduos do sexo feminino. O smartphone foi o dispositivo mais comum de propriedade dos sujeitos (33%). O tempo de tela dos participantes foi alto, pois 97,4% dos sujeitos caíram na categoria de tempo de tela alta (>2 horas). No entanto, o tempo de tela não foi significativamente associado ao IMC (p=0,36). A única variável associada ao tempo de tela foram os dispositivos pertencentes aos sujeitos (p=0,001). CONCLUSÕES: O tempo de tela não foi significativamente associado com o IMC entre os estudantes universitários. Estudos futuros devem incluir a relação de outros fatores sobre o IMC entre estudantes universitários.

Relation of serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D levels to bone mineral density in southern Chinese postmenopausal women: A preliminary study.

Background & objectives: Vitamin D insufficiency is prevalent in postmenopausal women and has been related to low bone mineral density (BMD). However, controversial results have been reported for the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels and BMD. This study was done to investigate whether serum 25(OH)D levels were associated with BMD in postmenopausal women living in Guangzhou in southern China. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 119 asymptomatic postmenopausal women, aged 48-85 yr, who were consecutively selected from Guangzhou city. BMD was measured at the lumbar spine and femoral neck. The correlation between serum 25(OH)D levels and BMD wes investigated. Results: With increasing serum 25(OH)D levels categorized as <20, 20-30, and ≥30ng/ml, the PTH levels decreased gradually (P=0.031). Bivariate correlation analyses showed an inverse relationship between serum 25(OH)D and PTH levels after controlling for age and BMI (r=-0.209, P=0.023). Although subjects with vitamin D<30 ng/ml had significantly lower BMD, age- and BMI-adjusted serum 25(OH)D was weakly correlated with BMD at femoral neck (r=0.185, P=0.045), and not at lumbar spine (r=0.172, P=0.063). In multiple regression analyses, serum 25(OH)D was a predictor for BMD at femoral neck (R 2=0.424). However, serum β-CTX was a determinant for BMD at lumbar spine (R 2=0.361). Interpretation & conclusions: Serum 25(OH)D levels showed a positive correlation with BMD at femoral neck and serum β-CTX levels were inversely correlated with BMD at lumbar spine in postmenopausal women. Further studies are needed to elucidate the clinical impact of these findings.

Stress and its relationship with body mass index among biomedical science students in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between stress score and body mass index (BMI) of students of Science in Kuala Lumpur. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 126 students. Data about stress score were collected using a questionnaire, the Student-Life Stress Inventory (SLSI) Data about BMI were calculated from height and weight of the respondents. Results: A total of 117 (92.85%) out of 126 students had responded. The mean difference of stress score among first, second and third year students were 87.6 ± 17.0, 83.4 ± 16.9 and 86.7 ± 15.4 respectively. The mean difference of stress scores between the Bumiputra and non-Bumiputra students were 87.9 ± 16.5 and 83.2 ± 15.9 .The mean of body mass Index(BMI) between first, second and third year students were 21.0 ± 3.5, 20.3 ± 2.7 and 21.8 ± 4.3 respectively. Conclusions: This study showed that the stress level is higher in first year, female and bumiputra student. There was no significant relationship between stress score and BMI.