title: Dietary habits and life style among the students of a private medical university Karachi.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the dietary habits and life style of the students of a private medical university in Karachi.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted at Baqai Medical University, from August 2005 to September 2005. A total of 384 medical students from the batches of 2002 to 2005 participated in this study. A pre-tested semi structured questionnaire was self administered to the students after taking their consent. The data included socio-demographic characteristics, life style, exercise, dietary habits and family history of diabetes mellitus. The collected data was analyzed by statistical program SPSS version 11.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of the total participants, 53.4% were male and 46.6% were female students. The mean age was 20 +/- 1.58 years. The average income of the household of students was 50,000 Pakistani rupees per month. Only 7% students were tobacco users. About 33% students had a history of diabetes mellitus among their parents. Nearly 97% reported consumption of junk food while 60% reported use of whole grain food in their diet. Seventy percent students walked 30 minutes and 47% exercised daily. According to the body mass index, 58.3% students were of normal weight and 41.7% were overweight. No significant difference was found among male and female students when dietary habits and life style were compared by sex. Junk food and soft-drink consumption was associated with being overweight. Eating whole grain food and doing exercise showed a protective association against overweight.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Unhealthy lifestyle and poor dietary habits were highly prevalent in the overweight study population. Type-2 diabetes mellitus was common among parents and grandparents of the students making them prone to this disorder. Our study concluded that dietary and exercise counselling is necessary as a preventive strategy.
authors.affiliation: Community Medicine Department, Sindh Medical College DUHS, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Nighat
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nisar
authors.forename: Majid Hafeez
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Qadri
authors.forename: Kiran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fatima
authors.forename: Shakeela
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Perveen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012577:Schools, Medical; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult