Prevalence of obesity among undergraduate students, living in halls of residence, University of Nigeria, Nsukka campus, Enugu state

Abstract

A study of the prevalence of obesity among undergraduate students was conducted at University of Nigeria Nsukka campus, Enugu, State, in the South Eastern partof Nigeria. A tota of 620 male andfemale students were randomly selected for the study. A structured and validated questionnaire and anthropometry were used for data collection. The study elicited information on the sex distribution of the subjects who were obese, their marital status, dietary pattern, activity pattern and their health status. Information obtained was analyzed using frequency distribution, percentages, means and cross tabulation. The result revealed that 21% of the participants were obese, (8.1% are males and 13.1% are females). Most of the participants who were obese were unmarried, a total of 934% of the of the study population. The result of the eating pattern showedthat 406% of the subjects purchased their foods from eating houses within the campus, 466% cooked their meals with foods brought fom their homes; 28.2% and 26.7% consumed fruits and vegetables daily respectively. Food choice was based on taste of the food, cultural demands and easy to prepare foods. Information on the activity level showed that 85.5% of the obese subjects occasionally engaged in physical activity. Assessment of the heath status indicate that 61% had cardiovascular disease; 23% were diabetics, 3.8% had gall bladder disease and 51% had other illness like ulcer, irregular menstruation, fever and stomach ach. Keywords: Obesity, Prevalence, University undergraduate students