Abstract

Background: The incidence of overall obesity has increased dramatically, not only in high-income countries but also in low- and middle-income countries. Body mass index (BMI) is widely used as a measure of overweight and obesity.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of overall obesity in Finnish and Bangladeshi undergraduate students aged 18–35 years.

Materials and Methods: A population-based cross-sectional pilot study of undergraduate students in Finland and Bangladesh. BMI was calculated as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters. Based on cut-points recommended by the World Health Organization, BMI (kg/m2) for normal weight is 18.5–24.9 kg/m2 and that for pre-obesity and obesity is 25.0–29.9 and 30.0–34.9 kg/m2, respectively, in Finnish; obesity of Asians was found as 25–29.9 kg/m2 for moderate category (obese I) and more than 30 kg/m2 for severe category (obese II), while for pre-obese and for normal weight the BMI was 23–24.9 and 18.5–22.9 kg/m2, respectively.

Result: The mean age was 24.70 ± 4.31 years for Finnish and Bangladeshi students, whereas mean BMI of Bangladeshi and Finnish students were 23.64 ± 4.55 and 24.48 ± 3.35 kg/m2, respectively. The relationship between body height (167.80 ± 8.93 cm vs 159.65 ± 7.37 cm) and body weight (68.60 ± 8.08 kg vs 60.49 ± 13.40 kg) of Finnish and Bangladeshi participants were very significant (P < 0.001) while BMI distribution was found to be nonsignificant (24.48 ± 3.35 vs 23.64 ± 4.55 kg/m2, P = 0.4411). Very significant connotations were documented amidst four groups of BMI categorized Finnish (P < 0.0001) and Bangladeshi (P < 0.0001) students. Adjusted R2 of percentiles itemized for body height, body weight, and BMI were significant among Finnish and Bangladeshi participants.

Conclusion: Obesity, 36.7% (20% for pre-obesity), is predominant in Bangladeshi adults, whereas pre-obesity, 30% (10% for obesity), is higher in Finnish. An understanding of the reasons behind the high predominance of pre-obesity is essential for its prevention as well as for the prevention of the morbidities to which it may lead.

Key words: Prevalence, pre-obesity, body mass index (BMI), undergraduate