Measures of generalized and central obesity among medical students in a tertiary care teaching hospital

ABSTRACT

Background: Obesity is a disease process characterized by excessive body fat accumulation which is associated with a large number of debilitating and life-threatening disorders. It is necessary to curb obesity when its beginning in late childhood or adolescence and youngsters. Hence this study is aimed to determine the prevalence of obesity among medical college students.Methods: This is an observational cross-sectional study conducted at Aarupadai Veedu Medical College and Hospital, Puducherry. Height, weight, waist and hip circumference were measured, and BMI and Waist Hip ratio has been calculated according to WHO standards to determine obesity level in students.Results: Out of the total 94 students included in the study 56.4% students were in normal weight, 26.6% overweight, 6.4% were obese and shockingly 10.6 % were in the underweight category. Nearly 81.8% and 79.5% of female and male students respectively were in the substantially increased risk category showing insignificant difference between genders.Conclusions: This study shows that overweight and obesity is prevalent among medical students without much difference in gender basis. Frequent screening might create awareness among students and help them become more self-conscious regarding overweight and obesity.