Abstract:

Objective To investigate the distribution of body mass index (BMI) of university students, and explore the influence of knowledge, attitude and practice of nutrition on BMI. Methods In 2008, a total of 2 251 students from Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine were enrolled, and height, weight and BMI were obtained. Four hundred and thirteen students were selected by stratified cluster sampling and subjected to questionnaire about knowledge, attitude and practice of nutrition. Results Effective data of height and weight were available from 2 095 of all the 2 251 students, with the mean BMI of (21.2±6.8) kg/m². Overweight and obesity were found in 11.2% and 2.6% of students, respectively. Compared with BMI at admission to college, that of each grade was significantly increased（P<0.05 or P<0.01）. There was correlation among knowledge, attitude and practice of nutrition on questionnaire （P<0.05 or P<0.01）, while none of them was directly related to BMI. Female students achieved higher scores than male students in attitude and practice of nutrition (P<0.01). There was no significant difference between self-reported height, weight and BMI and those measured by researchers. Conclusion Overweight and obesity have pervaded university students, and nutrition education designed separately for male and female students is an effective intervention method for obesity control. Self-report is feasible in obesity survey among university students.

Key words: university students, body mass index, nutrition, knowledge, practice, attitude, survey