A Study to Assess the Determinants of Obesity and Knowledge on Lifestyle Modification Strategies for Obesity among Nursing students in TMM College of Nursing

Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. A body mass index (BMI) over 25 is considered overweight, and over 30 is obese. (Prevalence of obesity among young adults in developing countries ranges from 2.3 to 12%, with overweight as high as 28.8%. The present study is entitled to assess the determinants of obesity and knowledge on lifestyle modification strategies on obesity among nursing students in TMM College of Nursing college, Thiruvalla. A descriptive survey approach was used to conduct the study among 65 nursing students in TMM College of Nursing. A convenient sampling technique was used to select the sample. The data was collected by using a self-structured questionnaire and analyzed by descriptive statistics. Results: Out of 65 samples, most of the students preferred a mixed diet of which more than half of the students were normal, less than half of the students were overweight and a few obese. An increased number of students were not doing regular exercise. Most of them preferred to study by sitting while snacking and had academic stress. 1.53% of the sample had poor knowledge, 53.84% of the sample had average knowledge and 44.61% had above average. Conclusion: The study concluded that obesity and overweight is prevalent among nursing students. There are many determinants of obesity which need to be addressed.