Prevalence and associated factors with overweight in students of health Sciences, Universidad de Cuenca, 2016

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Overweight is a global public health problem and it is associated with modifiable factors. The universitary population is not exempt from its influence and its prevalence is rising, so it is a matter of increasing interest. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and the associated factors with overweight in undergraduate students of Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Cuenca. METHODS: Descriptive, cross-sectional design, included 250 students, randomly selected from the 2016 school year record. We analyzed age, sex, marital status and residence. To determine overweight, we used the Body Mass Index; lifestyle was determined by FANTASTIC test, physical activity using IPAQ and insulin resistance by HOMA-IR. We determined the overweight prevalence; the association between overweight and other variables was obtained with PR (IC95%). RESUlTS: The age of the study population ranged from 18 to 26 years, with an average of 20.4 ± 1.9 years, 70.8% between the age of 18 and 21, 82% were students of first to fifth term. The female sex constituted 55.6% of the sample; most of the sample was single (93.2%) and urban residents (78%). The prevalence of overweight was 26.8% (21.6 – 32.6), more common in women and in students from 18 to 21 years old. There was association between overweight and physical activity [RP 4.2 (IC95%: 1.1 – 16.4)] (p= 0.010) and between overweight and insulin resistance [RP 3.1 (IC95%: 2.1 – 4.5)]( p < 0.00)1. There was no association with the lifestyle. CONClUSION: The prevalence of overweight in the population was similar to the prevalence reported in literature. There was association between overweight and sedentary lifestyle and insulin resistance, but there was not association with lifestyle. KEYWORDS: OVERWEIGHT, LIFESTYLE, SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE, INSULIN RESISTANCE, PREVALENCE