E-ISSN 2651-3455 (Online) | ISSN 2630-5593 (Print)
The Anatolian Journal of Family Medicine Prevalence of Obesity among University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study [anatol j fm]
anatol j fm. 2021; 4(1): 26-30 | DOI: 10.5505/anatoljfm.2020.38358

Prevalence of Obesity among University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Serkan Köksoy
Department of Nursing, Health Science Faculty, Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Burdur, Turkey

INTRODUCTION: Obesity is a global public health problem awaiting a solution. The body mass index (BMI) is one parameter out of the many measurements used to evaluate obesity. There are limited studies comparing the BMI of students studying and those not studying health protection and promotion. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the BMI of students studying in the department of health, social science, and engineering in university with various independent variables.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University during May 2018 to August 2018. Independent variables such as sociodemographic variables and dependent variable such as BMI, were included in the study.
RESULTS: Of the total 2193 people participating in the study, 719 (32.8%) were from department of health, 696 (31.7%) were from department of social sciences and 778 (35.5%) were from department of engineering. The mean BMI of the departments was found to be 23.4±4.1 kg/m2 for health, 22.5±3.4 kg/m2 for engineering and 22.5±3.5 kg/m2 for social sciences (p<0.001).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: According to the data of our study the mean BMI of the health department was higher than other departments and the percentage of people with a BMI below 18.5 kg/m2 was higher in the participants aged 18 to 21 years.

Keywords: Body mass index, health, obesity, students

Serkan Köksoy. Prevalence of Obesity among University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study. anatol j fm. 2021; 4(1): 26-30

Corresponding Author: Serkan Köksoy, Türkiye
Manuscript Language: English
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