Food consumption patterns, physical activity and overweight and obesity among undergraduates of a private university in Nigeria

Summary: Background: Non Communicable Diseases which is strongly associated with overweight and obesity have overtaken communicable diseases as the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. The changing disease pattern has been attributed to nutrition transition and inadequate exercise. This study was carried out to assess the food consumption pattern, physical activity and overweight and obesity among undergraduates of Adeleke University, Ede Osun State, Nigeria. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Undergraduate students, from a stratified random sample of Adeleke University in Ede, Osun State, Nigeria (n 268) aged 15–26 were used for the study. Pretested, structured self-administered questionnaires and anthropometric measurements were obtained from the participants. Results: Mean age of respondents was 19.8 ± 1.3 years, with a higher proportion being females (172; 64.2%). Body mass index (BMI) showed that 2.2% were underweight, 57.5% had a normal weight, 31% were overweight while 9.3% were obese. 56.7% of the respondents engage in physical activity always, and 35.8% of the respondents seldom engage in physical activity. Majority of the respondents consumed snacks daily. Using Chi square there was no association between cereals consumption and BMI (x2 = 5.415, P-value = 0.144). There was an association between intakes of vegetables and BMI (x2 = 18.342, P-value =