Prevalence of overweight and obesity in medical students of the Faculdades Integradas Pitágoras Montes Claros-MG

Abstract

Overweight and obesity have a high prevalence on the world stage. In this context, the challenges of academic formation lead to habits that lead to overweight / obesity in this population. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among medical students of the Integrated Pythagorean College of Montes Claros-MG. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a quantitative approach. The students completed a questionnaire containing information on nutritional assessment, sex, age, weight, height and anthropometric measurements. Results: Of the 60 students in the 1st, 5th and 8th periods, 31 were male. The body weight of the population had a mean of 67.26 kg, ± 13 and abdominal circumference with a mean of 80.01 cm ± 9.67. Discussion: The research conducted in Fortaleza - CE, also with medical academics found Body Mass Index (BMI) with a mean of 24.5 for men and 21.2 for women, similar to the results of the average found in our study, which was 22.86 (mean between male and female), demonstrating that students in this course do not tend to be overweight, which is BMI greater than or equal to 25. Conclusion: While students are on a high-calorie diet such as baked salads, pizza, bread and sandwich, they consume healthy foods such as milks, eggs, citrus fruits, bananas, tomatoes and carrots, as well as the tendency to opt for natural juices instead of soft drinks and do not consume visible fat in the meats. This is reflected in the average Body Mass Index of these academics, demonstrating the predominance of Normal Weight.