Determining the Dieting Attitude and BMI among High School Students in Selected Schools of Udupi District

Abstract

Objective:The objective of the study was to assess BMI and dieting attitude among high school students of selected high schools of Udupi district Materials and methods:A correlational survey design was used and samples were selected using multi stage sampling technique. Samples consisted of 200 high school students from four high schools. The analysis of the data was done using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results:The study revealed majority, 114(57%) of the samples belonged to the age group of 12-14 year,105 (52.5%) subjects were females and 69 (34.5%) students belonged to the 10th grade. The mean score of the dieting attitude was 69.68. 113 (56.5%) of the students were found to have unhealthy dieting attitude. The mean of the high school students’ BMI was 27.17 with a standard deviation of 6.45. Half , 101(50.5%) of the samples were found to be underweight. The study findings revealed that there is significant relationship between BMI and dieting attitude. A significant association was found between the class (x2=0.041), mother’s educational status (x2=0.004) and mother’s occupation (x2=0.026) with BMI at 0.05 level of significance. Gender (x2=0.028) was found to be significantly associated with the dieting attitude at 0.05 level. There was no association between dieting attitude and age. These variables were found to be independent of the dieting attitude. Conclusion :The study found that there is significant relationship between BMI and dieting attitude of high school students .Keeping in mind the findings of the study, it is recommended that periodical nutrition awareness programs be organized for the high school students.