Test finds 30% of students to be overweight

Abu Dhabi: Medical specialists descended on a college to find 12 per cent of students to be obese and 30 per cent overweight.

Most male students had a waist measurement of more than 102cm or 40 inches and women measured 88cm or 35 inches, which is above the normal range.

Around 1,000 male and female students of the Higher College of Technology were lined up to undergo a health record examination (HRE) on the campus yesterday.

They were tested for blood pressure, blood cholesterol and body mass index (BMI). Students also underwent a test for diabetes.

Most of the students were found to be overweight after the BMI test which assesses body weight relative to one's height. A person with a BMI of 30 or greater is classified as obese. Being overweight or obese can result in developing heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cancer, joint disease and gall bladder disease.

"Most of the women I have seen today have a BMI of more than 25, meaning they are overweight. Being obese or overweight requires the adoption of a healthy lifestyle by following a healthy diet, regular exercise, maintaining normal body weight and reaching a desirable BMI," said Dr Ragini Mohanty, New Medical Centre (NMC).

Graduating senior student, chemical engineer, Mohammad Abdul Hakim, 20, who looked thin had a BMI of 27.2, which is classified as overweight.

"I used to weigh 55 kilograms last year. Now I weigh 71 kilograms. I stopped playing football and sports in general because I simply have no time. I work, study or go desert biking which is a hobby of mine," said Hakim.

Jenith Kumar, NMC was offering male students medical consultations. He saw more than 100 students that day and his general overview was that they mostly led sedentary lifestyles and did not play enough sports.

"Most of the students we saw today were either obese or overweight and one or two in their early 20s had high blood pressure, diabetes or blood cholesterol," said Kumar.

Sahar Saif Al Din of NMC said that 20 out of 50 women between the ages of 20 to 25 examined for BMI were overweight.

Dr Noura Hamed who was checking blood pressure said that out of 50 students only two had a chance of pre-hypertension, which means they are border line towards being diabetic.