IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON BMI OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN PAKISTAN

Abstract
COVID-19 has created a new normal for the world. The social restrictions that are linked to the epidemic control measures have negatively impacted the daily routine of the population. Obesity is major contributor to the rise of non-communicable diseases in South Asia and Middle-East. A trend of increasing obesity had already been noticed in the Pakistani youth. We need to ascertain the effect of COVID-19 on the BMI (body mass index) of our youth so that the adverse effects may be countered. Objective: This study was conducted to determine the impact of COVID-19 on the BMI of university students in Pakistan.Subjects & Methods: A cross-sectional multi-center study was conducted through an online questionnaire among the university students of Pakistan. The BMI before and 6 months after the COVID-19 lockdown was assessed. The changes in caloric intake and physical activity were also assessed. Paired student’s t-test, Chi-square test and McNemar tests were used to assess the association between different variables. P-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: The larger proportion of the study population was female [n=230 (68.5%)], had normal weight [41% before and 39% during COVID] and lived in urban areas. The ages ranged from 18 to 35 years (21.4± 2.1 mean±SD). Around 30.7% of the population was overweight and 16.7% was obese before the epidemic, while 6 months after the epidemic 29.5% and 18.2% of the students were overweight and obese respectively. There was no significant change of BMI among the study population. There was no significant change in the dietary habits and physical activity among the students before and 6 months after the epidemic.Conclusion: There was no impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the BMI of university students in Pakistan. A very high percentage of students were either overweight or obese. There is urgent need for inclusion of health education in the educational system in Pakistan to deal with the emerging cardio-metabolic disease epidemic.

Keywords
COVID-19, BMI, university students

Cite this paper
Hira Fatima, Sana Ataullah, Fatimah K. Rasool, Ahmed K. Rasool, Farhat Bashir, IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON BMI OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN PAKISTAN , SCIREA Journal of Medicine. Volume 6, Issue 1, February 2022 | PP. 1-14. 10.54647/pm31150

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