Correlation between physical activity, eating behavior and obesity among Sudanese medical students Sudan

Abstract

Background: Obesity has emerged as a major health problem. Prevalence is increasing hugely. Various etiological factors had been identified as potential causes of obesity. There is an increasing need to study different determinants of obesity especially the physical activity and eating habits. Future doctors considered as role models in community. Doctor wellbeing's does not just affect them it has robust impact on their surroundings. More knowledge about determinants of obesity among medical students may shed light concerning obesity prevention and control. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the relationships between physical activity, eating patterns, and obesity among medical students.Methods: This was a cross sectional study conducted among 216 medical students at Al-Neelain University selected by stratified random sampling. Data were collected by self-administered questionnaire, which included background data. International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to determine physical activity level and the three factors eating questionnaire Revised 18 (TFEQ-r18) was used to determine eating behavior. Also, anthropometric measurements were performed for each participant. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 program. Descriptive data were presented as means ± SD and percentages. The relationships between BMI and physical activity levels and between BMI and eating pattern were analysed using non parametric test. P value < 0.05 was considered significant. . Results:The prevalence of obesity among students was 6.5% and overweight was 22.2%. The study showed that 44.9% of medical students had low activity level while 32% of students had moderate activity level and 23.1% had high physical activity level. There was no significant relationship between physical activity and body mass index (BMI) in this study. The common eating pattern among students was controlled eating (45.8%). There was significant relationship between eating behaviors and BMI (P = 0.01). Conclusion:The study revealed eating habits has stronger impact on BMI than physical activity. Disturbing figures regarding overweight and low physical activity among medical students, identified in this study, encourages implementation of health programs. Emphasize on importance and benefits of physical activity and eating habits in medical curricula.

Physical Activity Correlates to Body Mass Index among Medical Students

“…However, the correlation between PA level and BMI remains inconsistent. Other studies among medical students showed no significant relationship between PA and BMI (17,18). In contrast, a study by Keykhaei et al showed that there was a significant relationship between BMI (p= .018) and PA score in normal BMI participants compared to those with obesity.…”

Prevalence of obesity and association between body mass index and different aspects of lifestyle in medical sciences students: A cross‐sectional study

“…It may also be due to differences in students' lifestyle and lack of access to sports facilities and poor physical activity of women under study. In the study of Yousif in Sudan (Yousif et al., 2019), there was no correlation between physical activity and body mass index. The different results may be due to the type of questionnaire and physical activity tool used in the research.…”

“…These findings are similar with findings from other studies, and other studies have suggested a link between total calorie intake, quality of food eaten, high carbohydrate intake and fibre intake with BMI. Yousef showed a significant association between body mass index and eating behaviour by studying medical students (Yousif et al., 2019).…”

“…and fibre intake with BMI. Yousef showed a significant association between body mass index and eating behaviour by studying medical students (Yousif et al, 2019).…”

“…In the RahimiBashar and Motahari study on the other city of Iran, the prevalence of obesity and overweight among the 370 nursing student females was 20.8% and 3.4% (Rahimibashar & Motahari, 2013), respectively, that the prevalence of obesity was high among their participants. Also, studies on medical students in Sudan (Yousif et al, 2019) and Saudi…”