Factors associated with body weight status using Asian cut-off points among undergraduate university students in Universiti Putra Malaysia

Shaharuddin, Nurfarah Aida (2018) Factors associated with body weight status using Asian cut-off points among undergraduate university students in Universiti Putra Malaysia. [Project Paper] (Submitted)

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Abstract

The prevalence of obesity is increasing at an alarming rate in many parts of the world, including Malaysia. Based on national prevalence in 2015, about 43.1 % of adults aged 18 to 24 years are overweight and obesity. Meanwhile, based on previous studies, the prevalence of overweight and obesity among university students ranges from 30.0 to 35.9 %, which is comparable to the national data. University students are vulnerable of being overweight and obesity as they tend to engage in unhealthy lifestyle. Thus, this study aims to determine the factors associated with body weight status using Asian cut-off points among undergraduate university students. A total of 235 university students in UPM were recruited in this study. Data collection was conducted from February to March 2018. The respondents completed a set of questionnaire consisting of several items, including sociodemographic background, academic background, nutritional status, physical activity level and psychological distresses. Blood pressure and anthropometric measurements were measured too. As a result, about 46.0 % of the respondents were categorizes as having normal body weight, followed by overweight (25.5 %), underweight (15.3 %) and obese (13.2 %). By using Pearson correlation and Chi-square test, it was found that there was no significant association between both sociodemographic and academic background with body weight status. However, there were only four variables that were significantly associated with body weight status; waist circumference (r = 0.885, p <0.001), systolic (r = 0.341, p <0.001) and diastolic (r = 0.391, p <0.001) blood pressure, total physical activity (r = 0.132, p = 043) and depression (r = -0.130, p = 0.046). In conclusion, future intervention programs focusing more on lifestyle related issues need to be taken into consideration to promote healthy lifestyle among university students to combat with these health problems like overweight and obesity.

Item Type:	Project Paper
Subjects:	R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Faculty:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
Depositing User:	Ms Norafizah Radzuan
Date Deposited:	03 Aug 2026 11:28
Last Modified:	03 Aug 2026 11:28
URI:	http://psaspb.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/2884

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