Eating behavior and physical activity in relation to obesity among medical students at Mansoura University, Egypt.

Porto Biomed J

Internal Medicine Department, Mansoura Specialized Medical Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.

Published: March 2025

Background/aim: Medical students are subjected to the risk of obesity due to various factors. Understanding behavioral issues may provide an important insight into obesity development, prevention, and treatment. Emotional, uncontrolled, and restrictive eating practices are problematic eating behaviors characterized by food intake independent of hunger but based on emotional state. Limited data from Egypt are currently available; therefore, this study was undertaken with the objective to find the frequency of overweight and obesity among medical students at Mansoura University, Egypt. Eating behavior and physical activity in relation to overweight/obesity were also assessed.

Methods: A total of 368 undergraduate medical students were included in this study. Eating behavior was described using the French translation of Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-R18. Obesity and physical activity were assessed according to WHO recommendations.

Results: Among the total students, 54% were normal weight, 32% were overweight, 9% were obese class I, 2% were obese class II, 1% were obese class III, and 2% were underweight. Overweight/obese students had significantly lower physical activity than nonoverweight/obese. Cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating, and emotional eating were significantly higher in overweight/obese compared with nonoverweight/obese students. Cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating, and emotional eating were significantly correlated with body mass index. Uncontrolled eating was negatively correlated with sex and residence, whereas emotional eating was negatively correlated with physical activity. Female sex, physical inactivity, increased cognitive restraint, and increased emotional eating scores were significant predictors of obesity in the studied medical students.

Conclusion: Medical students are likely to be overweight or obese. The main risk factors associated with overweight and obesity are female sex, lack of physical activity, and cognitive and emotional restraint but not uncontrolled eating.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11872364PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/j.pbj.0000000000000281DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

physical activity
24
medical students
20
uncontrolled eating
16
emotional eating
16
eating
14
eating behavior
12
obese class
12
cognitive restraint
12
restraint uncontrolled
12
behavior physical
8

Similar Publications

Background: Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide. Treatments for this disease often result in side effects such as pain, fatigue, loss of muscle mass, and reduced quality of life. Physical exercise has been shown to effectively mitigate these side effects and improve the quality of life in patients with breast cancer.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) leads to rapid physiological and functional decline before causing untimely death. Current best-practice approaches to interdisciplinary care are unable to provide adequate monitoring of patients' health. Passive in-home sensor systems enable 24×7 health monitoring.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study is the first in Japan to prospectively examine the relationship between walking to and from school and physical activity in primary school children. A total of 76 participants completed baseline and follow-up assessments, and their mean age was 9.6 ±  1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Context: Sarcopenia is a disease characterized by low muscle mass and function that places individuals at greater risk of disability, loss of independence, and death. Current therapies include addressing underlying performance issues, resistance training, and/or nutritional strategies. However, these approaches have significant limitations, and chronic inflammation associated with sarcopenia may blunt the anabolic response to exercise and nutrition.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a highly metastatic malignancy. More than 80% of patients with PC present with advanced-stage disease, preventing potentially curative surgery. The neuropeptide Y (NPY) system, best known for its role in controlling energy homeostasis, has also been shown to promote tumorigenesis in a range of cancer types, but its role in PC has yet to be explored.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!