Relationship between body mass index, waist circumference, fat mass and fat percentage as a measurement of obesity among Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris students

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence of obesity based on the Body Mass Index (BMI), waist circumference, and fat mass and fat percentage and to examine the relationship between BMI, waist circumference, fat mass and fat percentage as the measurement of obesity among university students. The participants were 305 students from Univesiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) aged between 18-25 years old with males (n =101) and females (n =204). Digital InBody Stadiometer was used to measure height. Body Composition Analyzer was used to determine body mass, fat percentage, fat mass and body mass index. Seca - SC100 tapes was used to measure waist circumference. The data was analysed using descriptive statistic to determine the prevalence of obesity and the Pearson correlation was used to determine the relationship between the variables being studied. Results showed that the prevalence of obesity based on BMI in male was 34.6. % overweight and 12.9 % obese and 31% was overweight and 12% obese among female participants.  The prevalence of obesity according to BMI was higher in men if compare to women. The results of waist circumference showed the greater number of females (71.6%) being overweight compared to males (64.3 %). Overall, there was a strong, positive correlation between body mass index, waist circumference, fat mass and fat percentage in measuring obesity.

Keywords: Overweight, Obese, BMI, Waist circumference, and Fat mass