Fast food consumption and obesity risk among university students of Bangladesh

Fast food consumption leading to excess calorie intake coupled with lack of adequate physical activity has increased the risk of obesity among the world population for the past few decades. A cross-sectional study was carried out from March to April 2014 among four hundred twenty six students selected by the use of systematic random sampling attending in an established private university of Bangladesh. The objective of this study was evaluating fast food consumption and prevalence of obesity among university students. The overall prevalence of fast food consumption was 55.9 % and 44.1 % for males and females, respectively. Approximately 56% of university students went to fast food restaurants at least once per week and 44 % went regularly (≥2 times/wk). Status of obesity was found to be significantly associated with frequenting fast-food restaurants; students going two or more times per week were more likely to be obese (OR 2.2; 95% CI 1.3-3.9). Obesity was detected among 56.2 % of those students going two or more times per week in fast food restaurants showed significantly high prevalence (X 2 =7.82, p<0.05). This study provides evidence of increasing trend in obesity among university students consuming fast foods regularly. A combined initiative from family, universities, public health experts and government is much needed to tackle this public health problem.