A Study on Prevalence of Obesity Among MBBS Third Professional (Part-Ii) Students in a Private Medical College of Eluru District

Background: Obesity is an upcoming emergency lifestyle disease in our country, especially among young adults. In India, morbidity and mortality occurs even with low body mass index (BMI). There has been steady increase in obesity among adolescents and young adults. Materials and Methods: It was an institutional based analytical cross-sectional study done on 120 Students studying MBBS Third Professional (Part-II) Students for duration of 30 days. Height and weight of the students were measured using a measuring tape and digital weighing machine respectively. Apre designed, semi structured questionnaire were used for collecting data after validating the questionnaire. Results: Among 120 students enrolled in study, 34.2% were male and 65.8% were female. Overall prevalence of overweight and obesity is 64.2%. Majority (67.5%) of them had normal waist circumference. In gender category, females had more BMI compared with males. We found statistically signicant association with gender, family history, diet pattern, fruits intake, mobile usage. Conclusion: The result of the study revealed that prevalence of obesity was 64.2% among Third professional year part 1 medical students of ASRAM Medical College, Andhra Pradesh. The prevalence of obesity was higher among boys compared with girls. Positive family history was found in our study. So persons with positive family history should be counselled to follow healthy lifestyle.