Correlation between physical activity, eating behavior and obesity among Sudanese medical students Sudan

BACKGROUND: Obesity has emerged as a major health problem. Prevalence is increasing hugely. Various etiological factors had been identified as potential causes of obesity. There is an increasing need to study different determinants of obesity especially the physical activity and eating habits. Future doctors considered as role models in community. Doctor wellbeing’s does not just affect them it has robust impact on their surroundings. More knowledge about determinants of obesity among medical students may shed light concerning obesity prevention and control. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the relationships between physical activity, eating patterns, and obesity among medical students. METHODS: This was a cross sectional study conducted among 216 medical students at Al-Neelain University selected by stratified random sampling. Data were collected by self-administered questionnaire, which included background data. International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to determine physical activity level and the three factors eating questionnaire Revised 18 (TFEQ-r18) was used to determine eating behavior. Also, anthropometric measurements were performed for each participant. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 program. Descriptive data were presented as means ± SD and percentages. The relationships between BMI and physical activity levels and between BMI and eating pattern were analysed using non parametric test. P value < 0.05 was considered significant. . RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity among students was 6.5% and overweight was 22.2%. The study showed that 44.9% of medical students had low activity level while 32% of students had moderate activity level and 23.1% had high physical activity level. There was no significant relationship between physical activity and body mass index (BMI) in this study. The common eating pattern among students was controlled eating (45.8%). There was significant relationship between eating behaviors and BMI (P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: The study revealed eating habits has stronger impact on BMI than physical activity. Disturbing figures regarding overweight and low physical activity among medical students, identified in this study, encourages implementation of health programs. Emphasize on importance and benefits of physical activity and eating habits in medical curricula.