Overweight and Obesity among Female Students in Sohag University and Factors Associated with their Occurrence

Background: Obesity is a medical disorder in which extra body fat is stored to the degree
which may have a harmful effect on the health. People are generally measured obese when
their body mass index (BMI) is ≥ 30 kg/m2, with the range from 25–29.9 kg/m2 is
considered as overweight. However, some countries, especially in the East Asian area may
use lower values to define both overweight and obesity. Objective: This study aimed at
determining the proportion suffering from overweight and obesity among a sample of
female students in Sohag university, and identifying factors associated with their
occurrence. Method: A cross sectional study was carried out in faculties of medicine,
nursing and education in Sohag university and included a sample of 600 female students
aged 17-25 years in the selected faculties. The data was collected through personal
interviews with the participating students using a questionnaire containing questions about
sociodemographic variables, dietary habits, physical activity, perceptions of body weight
and beliefs of obesity and the record of self-reported and actual anthropometric body
measurements. Results: More than one third of participants (37.3%) were overweight and
1.2% were obese. Lack of physical activity, consumption of soft drinks and marital status
were significantly related to obesity. The participants preferred dairy products and fatty
foods over vegetables and fruits. In addition, “lack of time” was the most frequently
mentioned barrier to eating a healthy diet and being engaged in regular exercise.
Conclusion: Overweight and obesity were detected in 38.5% of the participants. Life style
modification is important to improve healthy habits earlier in life