Prevalence and determinants of overweight or obesity among medical students over a 2-year observation

Abstract

Introduction: University students are a special population group characterized by changes in BMI values over the subsequent years of education, with an upward tendency to BMI. The presented study aims to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity and their determinants in medical students during the 2-year follow-up observation.

Materials and methods: We analyzed data collected from the first follow-up of the cohort study named "POLLEK" conducted among medical students at the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice. Students were followed at two points of time: in their inaugural year of studies (the academic year 2021/2022, T1, N = 427), and subsequently in their second year (the academic year 2022/2023, T2, N = 335).

Results: In the initial year of evaluation, 371 individuals (86.9%) exhibited normal body weight, 47 (11.0%) were overweight, and 9 (2.1%) were classified as obese. Subsequent assessments during the second year revealed the following distribution: 277 students (84.2%) with normal body weight, 40 (12.2%) classified as overweight, and 12 (3.6%) identified as obese. In summary, regardless of the academic year, an increased risk of being overweight or obese was significantly associated with dissatisfaction with personal health, financial strain, and a diet abundant in animal products.

Conclusion: The results of our study confirmed an increase in the prevalence of overweight or obesity among medical students during the 2-year follow-up observation. Significant determinants of overweight or obesity among medical students were: dissatisfaction with individual health status, male sex, financial deficiencies, and a diet abundant in meat consumption.

Keywords: medical students; obesity; overweight; prospective study; public health policy.