The relationship between physical activity level and obesity among medical students at International University of Africa, Sudan

Abstract

Background: Obesity is a leading preventable cause of death worldwide, with increasing rates in adults and children . Several studies had investigated the relationship between physical activity and obesity but this relationship is still controversial and few attempts were made to study this relationship among medical students especially in Sudan. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the relationship between physical activity level and obesity among the medical students of the International University of Africa.

Methods: This was cross section descriptive facility- based study conducted among 200 medical students at International University of Africa (IUA) selected by stratified random sampling. Data were collected by self-administered questionnaire which included sociodemographic data. Anthropometric measurements were done for each participant. Physical activity level was determined by the short form of the international physical activity questionnaire (SF-IPAQ). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 program. Descriptive data were presented as means and standard deviations of means or percentages. Correlation analysis and Chi-Square test were used to assess associations/ differences between different variables. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant

Results: The mean age of participants was 21.76±2.48 years. The prevalence of obesity among students was 6.5% and most of the students had either low or moderate physical activity level (24.5% and 48.5% respectively). Male students had higher level of physical activity than female students (P<0.001). There was no significant relationship between physical activity level and obesity in both male and female students.

Conclusion: The study revealed insignificant relationship between obesity and physical activity level.

Keywords: Obesity, physical activity, medical students, Sudanese