Factors Associated with Obesity/Overweight Among Palestinian University Students in West Bank

OBJECTIVES: This cross-sectional study aims to assess the prevalence of obesity/overweight and its associated risk factors among Palestinian undergraduates. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed among undergraduate students from eight universities. A self-administrated questionnaire was used to obtain information related to sociodemographic characteristics, medical history and lifestyle habits, anthropometric measurements, and nutritional habits. Furthermore, psychological characteristics were assessed using the Arabic version of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale. Descriptive statistics, Independent t-test, and Chi-square were performed. RESULTS: A total of 1243 students, 772 (62.1%) females and 471 (37.9%) males were included in the final analysis, The Results revealed that obesity prevalence was 3.3% and overweight was 16.10% among the students. Obesity was significantly more common among males, and those who are studying scientific specialization. Weigh status was significantly related to anxiety (p < 0.05). Among the psychosocial factors, students with normal weight had significantly higher anxiety scores than obese or overweight students (p < 0.05). Obesity and overweight were significantly associated with lower self-satisfaction (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, we found that the prevalence of obesity and overweight was low among the study sample. Several risk factors were identified that can be utilized in health promotion programs. FUNDING SOURCES: The Authors declare that no external financial support was received for this study.