PERCEIVED EFFECTIVENESS OF OBESITY AND WEIGHT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
ABSTRACT
Obesity prevalence has risen at such an alarming rate that it now affects children. Because of technological advancements, many people’s lifestyles have become sedentary. There are numerous programs in place to ensure that people maintain a normal, healthy body weight.
This study investigates undergraduates’ attitudes toward various weight and obesity management strategies. The study hypothesized that undergraduates significantly perceived
(1) diet
(2) physical activity
(3) drug use
(4) surgery as effective weight management strategies, and that there is a significant difference between male and female participants’ perceptions of diet, physical activity, and surgery as effective weight management strategies. The descriptive research method was used for this study.
The study’s population consisted of undergraduates from the University of Lagos. The study’s sample included (400) undergraduates from the Faculty of Education. They were chosen using the stratified random sampling method. A questionnaire was used to collect data, which was then analyzed with spss at the 0.05 level of significance.
The findings revealed that there is a significant difference in their perception of drugs as an effective weight-loss strategy. Based on these findings, it was suggested that respondents are unaware of the risks of surgery and drugs as weight-loss strategies. There is a need to educate people through an enlightenment campaign.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Obesity is spreading at an alarming rate all over the world. It is estimated that there are more than 300 million obese people in the world today. Obesity is defined as an excess of body fat that is associated with a wide range of debilitating and life-threatening disorders. Obesity is one of the world’s most serious health problems, according to the World Health Organization. Obesity is a result of chronic energy imbalance, according to the majority of researchers, Latner and Stunkard (2000).
Obesity is becoming more common in most parts of the world, including Nigeria, affecting men, women, and children. Different treatment methods for this disease have been developed in various parts of the world, including Nigeria. Pharmacotherapy, physical activity, diet, and surgery are some of these methods.
Obesity and underweight have both been linked to disease, indicating that body weight is a significant determinant of health and disease. Obesity has been linked to a number of noncommunicable diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, and lipid disorders, as well as increased morbidity and mortality in adults, according to WHO (1995).
According to Bakari and Onyemelukwe (2005), being underweight is linked to infections such as tuberculosis. In Nigeria, there is a troubling trend of rising adiposity (Treblay & Wilms, 2002). This has been attributed to the so-called nutritional transition in developing countries. Flegal and Carol (1998) discovered that a double burden of obesity (suggesting over-nutrition) on the one hand and underweight (suggesting under-nutrition) on the other is not uncommon in developing countries.
Many countries have launched local and national public health campaigns to increase physical activity and reduce caloric intake (Tremblay & Wilms, 2002). Care must be taken to ensure that the goal of such campaigns to reduce overweight and obese levels is a realistic and healthy body weight (Flegal & Carol, 1998).
This is especially important to avoid an increase in weight anxiety and restrained eating as the number of campaigns aimed at increasing exercise levels and reducing excessive food intake increases.
Statement of the Issue
The researcher has noticed an increase in the number of overweight and obese students among undergraduates at the University of Lagos. Obesity is a public health problem due to its prevalence; however, a review of the literature revealed that a number of obesity and weight management strategies are being implemented around the world as a solution to this problem.
Some of these weight-loss strategies have been found to be ineffective and to have a slew of negative consequences, some of which are fatal. As a result, it is critical that individuals have accurate information about weight loss strategies and their consequences. The purpose of this study is to discover what undergraduates in the Faculty of Education know about these strategies and how they perceive them.
Research Issues
In this study, the following research questions will be addressed.
1. Will undergraduates perceive diet as an effective weight-management strategy in a significant way?
2. Will undergraduates consider physical activity to be an effective weight-management strategy?
3. Will undergraduates consider pharmacotherapy (the use of drugs) to be an effective weight-management strategy?
4. Will undergraduates consider surgery to be an effective weight-loss strategy?
5. Will the gender of the participants have a significant impact on their perception of the efficacy of obesity and weight management strategies?
Hypotheses for Research
In this study, the following research hypotheses will be tested:
1. Undergraduates will not consider diet to be an effective weight-management strategy.
2. Undergraduates will not consider physical activity to be an effective weight-management strategy.
3. Undergraduates will not consider pharmacotherapy to be an effective weight-management strategy.
4. Undergraduates will not consider surgery to be an effective weight-loss strategy.
5. Gender will have no effect on the perceived effectiveness of obesity and weight loss strategies.
The Study’s Importance
It is hoped that by considering such information when making curricular, pedagogical, or program decisions, curriculum planners and school administrators will be better equipped to include knowledge about obesity and weight management strategies in the curriculum for all students.
The findings of this study could be used as a foundation for future research on obesity and weight management strategies, providing a data base for future research.
Delimitation
This research will be limited in the following ways:
1. Undergraduate student at the University of Lagos’s Faculty of Education.
2. The study’s participants were limited to 400 students.
3. Four weight-loss strategies, namely
a. Pharmacotherapy
b. Food and nutrition
c. Physical exercise
d. Surgical procedure
4. Chi-square and t-Test inference statistics
The study’s limitations
1. Difficulty in obtaining an even number of students in a particular level because the researcher may discover that there were carryover students in the class where questionnaires were distributed after receiving the questionnaire.
2. The researcher was confronted with the challenge of different students from different departments taking a borrowed course, making it difficult to obtain information from a proportional number of participants from each level of the departments.
Terms With Operational Definitions
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the point where it may be harmful to one’s health.
Pharmacotherapy is the treatment of obesity with the use of drugs.
Diet: altering a healthy food intake.
Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement requiring energy expenditure produced by skeletal muscles.
Surgery is the branch of medicine that uses manual or operative methods to treat diseases, injuries, and deformities. For example, gastro bypass surgery.
Weight management entails a variety of methods for maintaining a healthy body weight.
Strategy: practice is required to maintain a healthy weight.
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