Gender differences in weight status and misperception patterns among university students: A cross sectional study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Anthropometry
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Perceived body weight influences weight management behaviors more than actual weight.
• Understanding weight perception is crucial for public health interventions.
• Prevalence of weight status and perception discrepancies requires investigation in diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity among university students.
• To investigate the differences between actual and perceived body weight.
• To examine gender-based variations in weight status and perception.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 475 university students.
• Objective measurement of height and weight, with weight status classified using WHO criteria for Asian populations.
• Assessment of weight perception through interviews, analyzed using Chi-square tests.

Main Results:

• Significant gender differences observed in actual weight status (P <0.001).
• Approximately 31.7% of students misclassified their weight status, with the highest accuracy (76.9%) in the overweight category (P=0.00001).
• Measured weight status and perceived weight differed significantly between male and female students (P <0.05).

Conclusions:

• Weight perception is a significant factor, but often inaccurate, among university students.
• Gender plays a role in both actual weight status and the perception of body weight.
• Findings underscore the need for targeted weight management strategies considering accurate weight assessment and gender-specific approaches.