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Obesity Risk Factors among Beirut Arab University Students in Tripoli- Lebanon

Germine El-Kassas

Background: Studies among university students in developing countries had shown high prevalence of obesity. Obesity among young people increases lifetime chronic disease risk. Unhealthy dietary patterns including high consumption of fast foods and meal skipping specially breakfast have been suggested as major risk factors for the development of obesity in developed countries. Limited studies had explored the dietary patterns among university students in developing countries.
Objective: The study objective was to investigate the major dietary risk factors associated with the development of overweight and obesity among university students.
Design: The study was conducted through a cross sectional survey. Data were collected using an interview questionnaire, anthropometric, and dietary tools. Subjects 497 students (49.3% males & 50.7%females) with a mean age of 20.1 ± 1.7 years were chosen randomly.
Setting: The study was conducted at Beirut Arab University (BAU)/ Tripoli campus during fall semester 2014.
Results: The results showed that 26.6% of the studied sample were overweight or obese. Males (67.4%) were statistical more obese than females (32.6%). More than three quarters of students (76.8%) reported irregular meal patterns and high fast food consumption. The strongest protective factors for the development of obesity were breakfast consumption (OR: 0.531, 95% CI: 0.299, 0.941) female sex (OR: 0.467, 95% CI: 0.244, 0.893) & being a health science student (OR: 0.11, 95% CI: 0.014, 0.883). Conclusions: Intervention programs to prevent overweight and obesity should be implemented among university students to encourage regular breakfast intake and adopting healthy food choices and lifestyle.