Lifestyle Behaviours and its Implications on Body Mass Index (BMI)

Project Overview

The study investigated selected lifestyle behaviours, dietary behaviour (fruit, vegetable, oil, salt, eating time), physical activity, water intake, hours of sleep, alcohol use and smoking among the various BMI categories) among University students, specifically among public health nursing students in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho.

Results showed that participants have poor dietary behaviour across all BMI categories. That is, low fruit and vegetable intake and high oil consumption but low salt usage amongst them. Physical inactivity was reported usually among the underweight, overweight, and the obese individuals. Although some walk to campus they usually do not consider this as physically active since such walks were done leisurely. Poor water intake was usually reported among the underweight, overweight and obese groups of people. Inadequate hours of sleep were also reported among the underweight, normal and overweight individuals whilst adequate hours of rest were reported by the obese category.

Participants mentioned, social support, the availability of fruits and cooking by themselves as some facilitators to healthy lifestyles.

On the barriers to healthy lifestyles, inadequate finances, prolonged lecture periods, prolong hours of private studies, poor quality of portable water and laziness were identified across all categories of the BMI to influence the practice of lifestyle behaviours. Results further indicate that students engage in unhealthy weight loss practices especially intentional starvation. This calls for health talks or health promotion to address this pertinent issue on weight loss.

Since participants have preferred brands of drinking water, the producers should be encouraged to supply in this setting to promote adequate water intake. Furthermore, because participants walk often they can be encouraged to do so briskly to serve as a form of physical activity for them.