Gender Differences in Body Mass Index, Body Weight Perception, weight satisfaction, disordered eating and Weight control strategies among Indian Medical and Nursing Undergraduates.

OBJECTIVES: To assess gender disparity in body weight perception, Body Mass Index (BMI), weight satisfaction and role of depression among undergraduate Medical and Nursing students.

METHODS: A descriptive cross sectional descriptive study was conducted in conveniently selected medical (n=241) and nursing (n=213) students of Bangalore, South India. Data was collected using self-administered SCOFF questionnaires.

RESULTS: Our findings revealed that men had a significantly higher BMI than women (t=5.403, p<0.001). More number of women compared to men, perceived themselves as over weight (74.8%) and not satisfied with their weight status (81.6%). More men than women scored positively for disordered eating behaviors on SCOFF (45.4% vs. 31.1%) and EAT scale (16.5% vs. 8.7%). While, 48.2% of the women practice binge eating, 41.2% of the men practice it (p<0.004); more men (47.4%) than women (25.4%) exercised for more than sixty minutes (p<0.001) to control their weight.

CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate small differences between the genders that have to be taken in consideration in planning interventional programs to prevent eating disorders in this population.