Sociodemographic correlates of BMI categories among female University students of Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University

Abstract

Purpose: Youth is considered a crucial period for launching positive health and social behaviours. It is a life stage when young people are experiencing rapid emotional, physical and intellectual changes, and when they begin the transition from childhood to adolescence to independent adulthood. The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity worldwide urged the authors to study the sociodemographic factors that might work as causal factors for obesity among young Saudi female university students. The study aimed at unveiling the causes of obesity among this group and to find out the association of normal and overweight with socio-demographic variables.Material and Method: A total of 500 female students were participated in this study from February to Novembers 2015. Weight and height were measured to determine the Body mass Index (BMI), the socio-demographic variables were examined by using sociodemographic form. Data was gathered from female students (N=500) enrolled in bachelors program during the period of November 2014-October 2015.Results: The findings of the BMI measurements had shown that there is 54% of the university students were in the normal weight whose BMI is 24 or below and 35% were showing a BMI that is over 24 and were in the range of overweight or obesity.Conclusion: This study concluded that there is an urgent need for guidance of university students regarding a healthy lifestyle and for fostering physical activity and nutrition programs on the campus to reduce and to keep the healthy weight.