Correlation between knowledge about the consequences of obesity and physical activity levels among university students

Abstract

Obesity is a growing public health issue. One of the main strategies to prevent it is physical activity. To determine if a correlation exists between awareness of the consequences of obesity and physical activity level. A cross-sectional study performed on a group of 215 students was conducted in 2013 and 2014. Non-health related program students were selected by convenience sampling at a university in Lima, Peru. Their physical activity level was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and knowledge about the consequences of obesity was assessed using the Obesity Risk Knowledge-10 scale (ORK-10). Each student was also asked to record the source where they obtained whatever information they knew about the topic. The median age of the participants was 20 (interquartile range of 4; 22-18), and 63% of the participants were female. According to the IPAQ, 53.9% of the participants recorded high levels of physical activity, 35.4% recorded moderate levels, and 10.7%, recorded low levels. While a low correlation between the ORK-10 score and the amount of METs/minute/week spent was found (rs=0.06), it was not significant (p=0.38). We found that people who were informed by the media or by healthcare personnel achieved higher scores on the ORK-10 scale than those who used other sources of information (p<0,05). There is a very low correlation between the knowledge about the consequences of obesity and a person’s physical activity level. A multidisciplinary approach that includes all determinants of physical activity is necessary in order to attain changes in people’s behavior.