BMI and psychological constructs: Comparative study of medical and non-medical female students of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Purpose: The high ratio of obesity prevalence was found in Saudi females. On the other hand, medical students have shown diverse patterns of knowledge and practice for their health around the world. This research aimed to measure the effectiveness of medical education for female medical sciences students related to BMI and psychological constructs by providing a comparative analysis between female medical and non-medical students of University. Material and Methods: For this study, descriptive, cross-sectional, the comparative design was used. Standardised scales were utilised to gather data. The sample comprised (N = 400) female students from medical and non-medical colleges. Independent sample t-test was calculated to measure the difference between demographics and health-related variables, BMI and psychological constructs for groups of medical and non-medical students. Results: Results presented no significant difference in demographic variables and health-related variables that shows that all students share similar demographic and health-related characteristics. However, a significant difference was found on the psychological variables of well-being well-being (t = 2.436, p 0.05). Conclusion: Therefore, the findings of the study concluded that female students of medical sciences were engaged related to health management courses, so they adopt a healthier lifestyle. It is recommended to increase community-based projects for non-medical students to facilitate and raise their awareness to maintain health-related activities and to enhance the perception of well-being.

Keywords

• medical students
• non-medical students
• female students
• body mass index (bmi)
• psychological constructs
• weight-specific quality of life