Body Mass Index Scale Research Articles

Association of Academic Performance with Body Mass Index and Gender Among Physical Therapy Students

Objective: To determine the association of academic performance with body mass index and gender among undergraduate physical therapy students.
 Study Design: Cross-sectional study.
 Place and Duration of Study: University of South Asia, Lahore Pakistan, from Mar to Aug 2019.
 Methodology: Three hundred and twenty-one students (either gender) were selected through consecutive sampling technique. Body mass index scale and cumulative grade point average was used to collect data.
 Results: The mean age of the study participants was 19.65±1.369 years, mean body mass index was 22.7±4.7 kg/m2, and mean cumulative grade point average was 3.0518±0.78. Overweight participants were 51(15.8%), and obese were 16(5.0%). A significant association of academic performance (cumulative grade point average) with body mass index and gender (p-value was <0.001). Females have good grades than males, with 16 males and 49 females with Grade-A, and 15 males and one female with Grade-D+.
 Conclusion: There was a significant association between academic performance (cumulative grade point average) with body mass index and gender. Female students had good grades than male students. High body mass index affects the academic performance of students.

Can Health and Wellbeing Come in All Shapes and Sizes? Dieting: The Big Con. A Harm Minimisation Program

Stress, low self-esteem, mental illness issues and physical debility are recognised outcomes for women striving for an ideal body image (Paxton 2000). However, the prevailing discourse remains that healthy lifestyle relates to specific body size and shape. This message is evident throughout the media, which clearly links healthy people to slim bodies imbued with youth, vitality and good looks. Community health nurses, concerned for women in the community who were deemed overweight by the Body Mass Index scale and engaged in cyclic patterns of dieting, initiated a health promotion program, aimed at challenging such discourse. A multidisciplinary group involving expertise from nursing, nutrition, psychology and community members was established to develop and run a program for women, which focused on body image, healthy lifestyles and eating patterns. This paper discusses the outcomes of these programs, which challenge the argument that body size and shape determines health.