Body Mass Index (BMI) status and relevant factors: A cross-sectional study in students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2015

Abstract

<strong>Background and aims:</strong> Obesity is one of the most important problems of modern society, and body mass index (BMI) is a tool to indicate overweight and obesity in adults. Obesity is directly associated with many non-communicable diseases. So for this reason, it was designed a study to assess overweight and obesity in Kooy dormitory students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2015.<br /> <strong>Methods:</strong> A cross-sectional study was conducted on 342 students (210 girls and <br /> 132 boys) selected by random cluster sampling. Students' height and weight were measured and other data were collected by questionnaire and finally analyzed using SPSS.<br /> <strong>Results:</strong> The average age of girls and boys was 23.27±3.09 and 22.58±5.08, respectively. Findings showed that girls' average BMI was 21.40±3.32 and boys' one was 23.6±2.82, with significant difference between sexes (P<0.001). From all students who participated in the study 9.3% were underweight, 73.8% normal, 15.2% overweight and 1.5% obese. Smoking and sleeping hours were correlated positively with BMI, while that of meal frequency was negative.<br /> <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Results indicate that university students would benefit from a nutrition and health promotion program to reduce the likelihood of overweight and obesity among them.