Prevalence of obesity, overweight and malnutrition in students of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the UEES

Abstract

To determine the prevalence of obesity, overweight and malnutrition in students of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Evangelical University of El Salvador. This quantitative, cross-sectional and descriptive research was carried out in 2009 at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the UEES and 293 students were evaluated. The variables studied included age, gender, body mass index, physical activity, eating habits, systemic involvement, and hydration. 68.6% were female and 31.4% male, aged between 21 and 23 years. The prevalence for malnutrition was 23.89%, 13.32% for mild overweight, 9.57% for moderate overweight, 5.8% for obesity, 4.79% for morbid obesity and 42.66% of the students had a normal body mass index. the students evaluated have a normal body mass index; but as a whole, 57.34% of the students are malnourished, with overnutrition (33.48%) being the most serious problem followed by malnutrition (23.89%); which suggests the expansion of this study including students of all careers for the future implementation of nutritional guidance programs and supervised physical activity practices.