Daily Nutrient Intake and Physical Activity in Relation to Anthropometry and Body Composition of Professional Women

Abstract

Overweight among professional women is a major health issue which remains a challenge to be addressed in the coming years. A study was carried out among female university teachers in the age group of 31-60 years to determine an association of anthropometry and body composition with nutrient intake and physical activity. The requirements of energy, protein and carbohydrates were adequately met. The fat intake was higher than requirement but the intake of dietary fibre was inadequate. The Physical Activity Frequency Score (PAFS) for sitting at work/commuting was found to be the highest. The longer time spent on sitting at work and home was significantly correlated with abdominal obesity parameters. Body weight was positively and significantly (p ? 0.05) correlated with intake of total fat as well as saturated fat thus, indicated that fat intake is a major determinant of obesity in this group. Energy and saturated fat intake were significantly (p ? 0.05) associated with Abdominal Volume Index, thereby indicating that abdominal obesity was attributed to higher intake of energy and fat. Longer time spent on sitting at work or while commuting was significantly correlated with Waist-hip ratio (p ? 0.01), Waist-height ratio (p ? 0.05) and Conicity Index (p ? 0.01), indicating that long sitting hours is one of the determinants of abdominal obesity in the studied group.