A STUDY INVESTIGATING THE PREVALENCE OF OBESITY AMONG EMPLOYEES OF A PRIVATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION IN WEST BENGAL

Background: Body Mass Index (BMI) is a useful indicator to measure whether a person is underweight, overweight, or obese.Overweight and obesity are the key risk factors for chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, high cholesterol levels, and cancer.Objective was to determine the prevalence of obesity among Employees of a Private Educational Institution in West Bengal. Method: The present study has been undertaken among Employees of a Private Educational Institution in West Bengal, in which all the employees were interviewed by a predesigned, pretested and pre-validated structure questionnaire though a health camp organized by the institute. Anthropometric data regarding height and weight was taken. Data were collected and analysed using statistical software and Chi-square and other statistical tests were used. Results: The study shows that among total 162 employees. 24 (24.48%) male and 29 (45.31%) females were found overweight or obese with the criteria of BMI more than 25kg/m2. Conclusions:It was concluded that obesity is a chronic illness. Early identification and appropriate intervention could prevent various complications associated with it. The BMI is an important factor.