IMPACT OF CENTRAL OBESITY ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS IN UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL STUDENTS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Objectives: Obesity, particularly central obesity, has been increasingly recognized as a risk factor for impaired cognitive function due to its association with metabolic and neuroinflammatory changes. Among medical students, whose academic and clinical performance relies heavily on executive function, such associations are of particular concern. To examine the relationship between central obesity, assessed by waist–hip ratio (WHR), and cognitive performance in undergraduate medical students using standardized cognitive function tests (CFTs). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate medical students (n=112). Anthropometric indices, including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and WHR, were measured. Cognitive function was assessed using standardized tests: Stroop Word (WR), Stroop Color–Word (CW), Stroop Effect, Trail Making Test A and B (TMT-A, TMT-B), and the Grid Concentration Test (GCT). Associations between obesity indices and CFT performance were analyzed using correlation and group comparisons. Results: The prevalence of central adiposity (elevated WHR) was 39.28%, with a higher prevalence among females (40.48%). Students with higher WHR required significantly longer times to complete Stroop WR, CW, and Stroop Effect tasks (p