Obesity Burden and Physical Activity Pattern Among Doctors in South India

A career as a doctor makes him prone to develop health issues like obesity and obesity-related noncommunicable diseases.

This study aims to find the burden and determinants of obesity among Modern Medicine doctors in Kerala.

We conducted a cross-sectional study among 240 doctors working in South Kerala from 2018 to 2019.

The sample size was calculated using a formula and stratified random sampling was done for the selection of study participants. An interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Physical activity was measured using International Physical Activity Questionnaire.

Data were entered in MS Excel and was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 26.0. The significance of association was tested using the χ² test. Binary logistic regression was done to predict the factors associated with overweight and obesity.

Out of 240 study participants, 128 (54%) were females and 112 (46%) were males. Among the 240 doctors, 54% (114) were either overweight or obese. A low level of physical activity was reported among 54.5% of doctors. Male gender odds ratio (OR) = 2.8 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.29-6.06), nuclear family OR = 2.7 (95% CI = 1.32-5.42), daily hours of sleep <6 hours OR = 4.92 (95% CI = 2.29-10.5), history of obesity among parents OR = 3.54 (95% CI = 1.04-12.02), reported the presence of private practice OR = 3.34 (95% CI = 1.25-8.96), and holding a graduation degree alone were found to be significantly associated with obesity.

The study found that majority of the doctors (55%) were either overweight or obese. Awareness and behavior change communication among doctors on modifiable risk factors like having adequate sleep and reducing the hours spent in private practice is needed to reduce the burden of obesity among doctors.