Publication:

Estimation of body mass index and risk evaluation of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in undergraduate students

Background The body mass index (BMI) is used in a wide variety of contexts as a simple method to assess how much an individual's body weight departs from what is normal or desirable for a person of his or her height. An increase in body fat is generally associated with increased risk of metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidaemia.

Methods The study conducted on the undergraduate medical students was a cross-sectional analytical study. The BMI was calculated using the formula, BMI = Body Mass (kg)/Height (m2). The blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), blood sugar levels (fasting blood sugar) and fasting lipid levels were measured for the overweight and obese groups.

Results A total of 305 students participated in the study. The mean BMI was 21.47 with a standard deviation of 3.42. 218 (71.47%), were in the healthy, 26 (8.52%) were in the overweight and 6 (1.96%) were in the obese categories. 16 (61.5%) of the overweight subjects were prehypertensives. 4 (66.7%) of the obese subjects were hypertensives. 2 (7.69%) out of the 26 overweight subjects were in prediabetic stage. 22 (84.61%) of the overweight and 5 (83.33%) of the obese subjects had dyslipidaemias.

Conclusions The prevalence of being overweight and obese among undergraduate medical students is a matter of serious concern. This reflects on the students’ poor dietary habits and inadequate physical activity. A serious approach to reduce body weight through dietary modifications and regular physical activity is the need of the hour.