Association of Academic Performance With Obesity and Unhealthy Lifestyle Among Female University Students

Aim This study aims to examine the relationship between obesity and academic performance and to investigate the relevance between an unhealthy lifestyle and academic performance, which may exist among obese and non-obese female students in the College of Science and College of Medicine of Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University. Method The study is observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional in nature and covers a sample of 328 female students aged 19 to 23 years. They were randomly selected from the College of Science and College of Medicine. Sample collection was conducted from December 12, 2020 to June 15, 2021. Results The result indicates that obesity did not influence academic performance. The association between obesity and academic performance was non-significant (p = 0.335). In the College of Science, grades in physics and math were analyzed, which reflected a weak association with obesity (p = 0.893 and p = 0.872, respectively). Various factors exerted a positive impact on academic performance, such as eating yogurt at least 1-5 times per week (p < 0.05) and spending less than 4 hours on social media or watching TV (p < 0.05). Conclusion Academic performance is influenced by many factors. Eating yogurt more frequently and watching TV and less time for social media are the factors with the largest influence on academic performance. However, obesity does not influence academic performance. In summary, physical activity and a healthy diet exerted no direct effect on academic performance.