Screening of Abdominal Obesity and its Risk Factors among Egyptian University Students

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Pediatrics Department, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Egypt.

2 Public Health and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Egypt.

3 Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Egypt.

4 Forensic and Toxicology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Egypt.

5 Internal Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Egypt.

Abstract

Background: Obesity is a global and growing health problem. Few data were found to describe the Egyptian prevalence of obesity among adolescents and young adults. Aim: To estimate the prevalence of abdominal obesity and its related risk factors among university students in Egypt. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study at Suez Canal University, including 1204 university students from all over Egypt. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed. Anthropometric measurements were taken, and Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated to assess body status and detect abdominal obesity. Results: The surveyed participants included 607 males (50.4%) and 597 females (49.6%). The age in the entire sample ranged from 18–25 years. The overall obesity was 8.17% with a confidence interval (6.61% - 9.72%) while abdominal obesity was 6.11% with a confidence interval (4.75%-7.47%) which was higher in females than in males (6.6% and 5.63% respectively). Screen time mean was 4.3±3.7 hours per day among participants, whereas 96.6% use social media about 7.13±5.72 hours per day. 78.8% of the students reported at least once weekly fast-food consumption. Abdominal obesity was 31.5% among the over-weights and 68.5% among obese surveyed participants. Positive family history of obesity was the most significant risk factor associated with abdominal obesity (odds ratio 2.835 with CI (1.244-6.462) and p < /em>=0.013) among the studied group. Conclusion: Obesity and its related factors are highly prevalent among Egyptian university students. Parental obesity is the most significant risk factor for abdominal obesity.
 

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