Prevalence of overweight and obesity among female medical students in Guilan-2003

Urbanization, industrialization, and related lifestyle changes in and the dietary transition to high fat and calorie diets are leading causes of the worldwide obesity epidemic. The aims of this study was to assess prevalence of overweight and obesity among future physicians. Methods and Materials: A cross-sectional study involving 282 female students aged 18-26 years. Weight and height were measured to 0.1 kg and was 0.1 cm respectively. Other information regarding behavior and socioeconomic factors were obtained using a questionnaire during interviews. Physical activity was measured using the Bake questionnaire. Overweight was defined as BMI of 25.0 to 29.9 kg/m2 and BMI >= 30.0 kg/m2 was defined as obese. A waist circumference (WC) of >= 80 cm or waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) of >=0.8 was considered to represent central obesity. Findings revealed that 12.8% of students were overweight, 0.4% obese and 8.1% underweight. Central obesity was 10.2% (using the WC) and 14.8% (using WHR) cut-offs. Over half the subjects lach understanding of appropriate weight for their age. History of obesity in childhood and adolescence were factors affecting current BMI. Results indicate a prevalence of both over weight and underweight exist in this student group, along with a lack of accurate information on appropriate weight ranges. Educational programes to increase awareness are recommended.