Knowledge, Perception, Behavior and Practice Among University Students of Public Health Towards Obesity

Background: Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk factor to health. A crude population measure of obesity is the body mass index (BMI), which is used to classify weight status, overweight is the person with a BMI of 25 or more, while a person with a BMI equal to or more than 30 is considered obese. Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess public health students' perception on obesity &overweight health risks, clarify students' knowledge, behaviors and practices that increases risks of obesity and obesity-related diseases. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate students Knowledge, Perception, Behavior and Practices towards obesity among students of public health in Umm Al-Qura University, in which 50% of students (136)were randomly selected using stratified sampling technique. Results: The study clarified that (69.9%) of students understand BMI-obesity relationship, while (30.9) didn’t know, the study showed that among 136 students,124 (91.2%) understand obesity -diabetes mellitus type 2 relationships. Likewise, 112 (82.4%) understand the relationship between obesity and hypertension. The study found that out of 136 students (72.8%) are aware that obesity is a risk factor for sleep apnea, referring t student’s practice of physical activity, study clarified that only 69.9%of students were practicing physical activity. Conclusion: The study concluded that there was a weakness in the perception and knowledge of students on BMI, study recommended for more concentration in academic activities to change this perception. The study concluded that the knowledge of students on major risk factors of obesity, relations of obesity with diabetes mellitus type 2, hypertension, sleep apnea, physical activity and weight control where acceptable. According to the study there were a problem in monitoring blood glucose and hypertension among overweight and obese students, which may be reflected in other health problems in the future. Recommendations: The study recommends for the introduction of extra educational and non-curricula programs on lifestyle, nutrition and obesity for public health student's, establishment of regular physical activities programs and strengthening of health education programs on overweight, obesity and other associated health problems inside and outside university campus. The study recommends for more researches to evaluate knowledge, perception, practice among public health and other students towards obesity.