Overweight and obesity: a study among university students in Sarawak, Malaysia

Overweight and obesity are on the rise throughout Asia, with Malaysia at the top of the list. However, the most recent data among young people, particularly university students in Asia, are scarce. This study aimed to report the prevalence of overweight and obesity among university students attendin...

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Published in:International Journal of Health Promotion and Education
Main Author: Pitil P.P.; Ghazali S.R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Institute of Health Promotion and Education 2022
Online Access:https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85125301597&doi=10.1080%2f14635240.2022.2040380&partnerID=40&md5=348fadb51202e8bc0c24c6230b3925cc
id 2-s2.0-85125301597
spelling 2-s2.0-85125301597
Pitil P.P.; Ghazali S.R.
Overweight and obesity: a study among university students in Sarawak, Malaysia
2022
International Journal of Health Promotion and Education


10.1080/14635240.2022.2040380
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85125301597&doi=10.1080%2f14635240.2022.2040380&partnerID=40&md5=348fadb51202e8bc0c24c6230b3925cc
Overweight and obesity are on the rise throughout Asia, with Malaysia at the top of the list. However, the most recent data among young people, particularly university students in Asia, are scarce. This study aimed to report the prevalence of overweight and obesity among university students attending two public universities in Sarawak, Malaysia, based on demographic data that included their levels of study, gender, and age ranges. This is a cross-sectional research approach, which surveyed 622 university students aged from 18 to 24 years enrolled in associate and bachelor’s degree study. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed via an online platform from March to November 2020. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from the obtained self-reported body weight and height for body weight status adhering to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Asian cutoff scales. Based on the WHO cutoff scale, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was 14.31% and 10.13%, respectively, which is lower than Asian cutoff scale prevalence, 22.19% and 16.88%, respectively. A high prevalence of overweight and obesity was noted among the study sample, particularly male students. Bachelor’s degree students recorded higher BMI than those at associate level. Age groups were prominent in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in males, but an exception in females. In conclusion, a high prevalence of overweight and obesity was observed in this study. This study provides valuable data that may be applied to devise strategic interventions at improving the health of university students. © 2022 Institute of Health Promotion and Education.
Institute of Health Promotion and Education
14635240
English
Article

author Pitil P.P.; Ghazali S.R.
spellingShingle Pitil P.P.; Ghazali S.R.
Overweight and obesity: a study among university students in Sarawak, Malaysia
author_facet Pitil P.P.; Ghazali S.R.
author_sort Pitil P.P.; Ghazali S.R.
title Overweight and obesity: a study among university students in Sarawak, Malaysia
title_short Overweight and obesity: a study among university students in Sarawak, Malaysia
title_full Overweight and obesity: a study among university students in Sarawak, Malaysia
title_fullStr Overweight and obesity: a study among university students in Sarawak, Malaysia
title_full_unstemmed Overweight and obesity: a study among university students in Sarawak, Malaysia
title_sort Overweight and obesity: a study among university students in Sarawak, Malaysia
publishDate 2022
container_title International Journal of Health Promotion and Education
container_volume
container_issue
doi_str_mv 10.1080/14635240.2022.2040380
url https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85125301597&doi=10.1080%2f14635240.2022.2040380&partnerID=40&md5=348fadb51202e8bc0c24c6230b3925cc
description Overweight and obesity are on the rise throughout Asia, with Malaysia at the top of the list. However, the most recent data among young people, particularly university students in Asia, are scarce. This study aimed to report the prevalence of overweight and obesity among university students attending two public universities in Sarawak, Malaysia, based on demographic data that included their levels of study, gender, and age ranges. This is a cross-sectional research approach, which surveyed 622 university students aged from 18 to 24 years enrolled in associate and bachelor’s degree study. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed via an online platform from March to November 2020. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from the obtained self-reported body weight and height for body weight status adhering to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Asian cutoff scales. Based on the WHO cutoff scale, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was 14.31% and 10.13%, respectively, which is lower than Asian cutoff scale prevalence, 22.19% and 16.88%, respectively. A high prevalence of overweight and obesity was noted among the study sample, particularly male students. Bachelor’s degree students recorded higher BMI than those at associate level. Age groups were prominent in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in males, but an exception in females. In conclusion, a high prevalence of overweight and obesity was observed in this study. This study provides valuable data that may be applied to devise strategic interventions at improving the health of university students. © 2022 Institute of Health Promotion and Education.
publisher Institute of Health Promotion and Education
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language English
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