Obesity among Malaysian College Students

The primary aim of this study is to assess the effects of lifestyle (diet and physical activity) on body mass index (BMI), controlling for personal characteristics such as race, gender, and age, among college students in Malaysia. Secondary aims are to compare the BMI definition of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (CDC, n.d.) to the definition of BMI used in Asia (World Health Organization [WHO], 2004), and to collect exploratory data on body perceptions and campus environment that might influence obesity. The global obesity epidemic is occurring in both resource-rich and resource-poor countries. Obesity is often attributable to unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, including poor dietary habits and physical inactivity, which are, for the most part, preventable (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2011). The manifestation of these preventable behaviors in the young is especially alarming because such behaviors can have long-lasting effects well into adulthood. This exploratory, cross-sectional study uses four self-reported, paper- and pencil-based surveys to assess health behaviors and lifestyles and obtain subjective (self-reported) and objective (measured by researcher assistants) anthropometric measurements such as height, weight, BMI, and waist circumference among college students attending a Malaysian private university. Four questionnaires were used to collect data: the Global School-based Health Survey, the Demographic Form, the Body Figure Scale, and the Campus Observation Worksheet survey form. The study found that Malaysian college students do not meet the recommended physical activity and dietary intake guidelines. Diet status and gender were found to be associated with BMI. Additionally, anthropometric measurements, such as BMI and waist measurements, need to be used cautiously among global populations due to anatomical and physiological differences. Male and female perceptions of self (usual/perceived body figures) vary. Lastly, the Malaysian university campus environment is not conducive to provide adequate physical activity and healthy dietary intake. A multidisciplinary corroboration (including the Ministry of Health and Education departments and university officials) is warranted to further evaluate strategies for promoting, facilitating, and providing a healthy lifestyle and leptogenic environment on Malaysian university campuses and, ultimately, arrest the upward trend of obesity.