Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

Background: Globally, there is rising prevalence of overweight and obesity in both developing and developed countries. The present study was conducted to estimate prevalence of obesity among school going children. Materials & methods: This study was conducted on 400 college students. A predesigned questionnaire was used to collect the information such as name, age, gender, ethnic origin and their present weight (Kg) and height (m). Weight and height of all subjects were measured using standardized weighing machine and a height measuring scale. All subjects were subjected to BMI and was calculated by dividing a person's body weight by their height (weight [kg] / height [m]2). A following criteria was used- BMI of 30 - obese, a BMI of 25.0 - 29.9 - Pre-obese and a BMI 23 to 24.9 - overweight/pre-obese. Results: Out of total 500 subjects, 260 were males while the remaining were females. Out of 260 males, 26 were underweight, 110 were normal weight, 32 were overweight, 36 were obese and 18 were obese. Out of 240 females, 24 were underweight, 120 were normal weight, 38 were overweight, 44 were obese and 22 were obese. Conclusion: Obesity is increasing in today’s life style. There is urgent demand of adopting healthy healthy food habits, lifestyles, and a physically active daily routine, among the adults to minimize dangers of the risks of developing chronic degenerative diseases.