Physical activity, screen time, serum lipid and body mass index among Malay female university students

Abstract

Technology advancements and urbanization implicate a negative lifestyle by promoting physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour. This situation may lead to obesity, an important risk factor for the development of diseases such as dyslipidemia and coronary heart disease. This study was conducted to evaluate physical activity, screen time, serum lipid profiles and body mass index (BMI) among Malay female university students. A total of 22 female individuals aged 19 to 23 years old from a private university in Selangor, Malaysia participated in the study. BMI was measured according to standard protocol. Physical activity (PA) and screen time (ST) were determined using questionnaires, and serum lipid profiles (total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL)) were analyzed using spectrophotometry. Our data showed that mean BMI for the participants was 23.0±4.2 with 13.6% of the participants were categorized as underweight and 4.5% were obese. The level of PA represented as metabolic equivalent in minutes (METmin) showed a median of 340 (IQR=1360) while median ST was 285.0 (IQR=213.8) minutes. The results also showed that median total cholesterol was 179.8 (IQR=78.4) mg/dL and mean HDL was 56.9±9.8 mg/dL. Only 9 (40.9%) participants were identified as physically active. HDL was significantly lower in obese participants compared to other groups (F=5.542, p=0.007). A significant moderately strong negative correlation (r=-0.730, p<0.001) between BMI and HDL was observed. As a conclusion, the majority of the participants were physically inactive with a considerable amount of ST daily. The increase of BMI was inversely associated with HDL. Interventions for lifestyle modification among university students are therefore recommended to reduce the risk of related diseases.