The association between academic performance indicators and lifestyle behaviors among Kuwaiti college students.

BACKGROUND: Lifestyle behaviors are developed during young adulthood and carried through life. Accordingly, early detection of unhealthy behaviors can help prevent the increase in non-communicable diseases in the population. College students are an especially vulnerable group who, upon entering a new environment, tend to engage in unhealthy behaviors. OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to evaluate the lifestyle behaviors of Kuwaiti college students and their association with markers of academic achievements. METHODS: One thousand two hundred fifty-nine students participated in the present study and answered an online questionnaire pertaining to their sociodemographic status, academic performance indicators, body weight and height, and lifestyle behaviors. Data were collected from November 2020 to February 2021. RESULTS: Results of the present study showed that obesity was significantly more prevalent among male participants than among females even though males were more physically active. Alternatively, females had a greater grade point average in college, slept more, and had more screen time. Interestingly, we were unable to detect a significant correlation between lifestyle behaviors and academic achievements. CONCLUSION: The observed differences in body mass index between genders may have been attributed to energy intake rather than energy expenditure.

Adolescent's self-reported weight and its association with media impact on decision to lose weight and body thinness perception.

This study investigated the accuracy of self-reported weight among Kuwaiti adolescents and the associations of self-reported weight and calculated BMI with the impact of media use on adolescent's decision to lose weight and body thinness perception. A total of 706 Kuwaiti adolescents (363 females) 15-18 year-olds were randomly selected from schools. Weight and height were self-reported by the adolescents and measured by the researchers. A specifically designed questionnaire reported the impact of media use on adolescent's decision to lose weight and body thinness perception. There were significant (p < 0.001) relationships between measured and reported weight (r = 0.947), height (r = 0.777), and calculated BMI (r = 0.623). Intraclass correlation coefficients (95% CI) between self-reported and measured weight and height were 0.973 (0.968-0.977) and 0.867 (0.839-0.891), respectively. The mean differences between self-reported and measured weight (1.26 kg) and BMI (0.478 kg/m2) were relatively small. Females under-reported their weight and the calculated BMI from estimated weight and height was underestimated by adolescents with overweight/obesity. The impact of media use on the adolescent's perception of being thin relative to the accuracy of the calculated BMI was significant (p = 0.043-0.001). The age-adjusted odds ratio of the calculated (underestimated) BMI in adolescents without overweight/obesity was 0.437 (95% CI = 0.257-0.741; p = 0.002). It was concluded that the validity of self-reported weight was high. Adolescents with overweight/obesity were more likely to underestimate their weight and calculated BMI. Educating adolescents about proper lifestyles and weight loss through media appears warranted.