Association of Physical Factors (BMI and WHR) with Physical Activity Level (PAL) and Gender-wise Comparison among College Students

Background: Assessment of physical factors such as Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist Hip Ratio (WHR) and their association with Physical Activity Levels (PAL) is essential among college student population for assessing their health risk & creating a healthy environment through the implementation of effective strategies by educational institutions.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted on 202 adult college students (male:105 & female: 97) of Kolkata, West Bengal, India, under the age group 18-23 years. They were randomly selected through Convenient sampling method and their PAL(MET-Min/Week) was estimated and classified using the guideline of International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) Short. Their BMI & WHR were also measured and categorized as per WHO guideline. Co-relation of the BMI & WHR with their PAL has been analysed and the risk of chronic disease was observed. The study wasapproved by the Institutional Human Ethical Committee.Conclusions: Majority (82.18%) of students had ‘High’ physical activity levels, with males showing significantly higher total mean PAL & WHR than females (p < 0.05). Physically inactive were (4.46%) &Obese were 10.40% yet 25.25% of students were found at high cardiovascular & other health risk. While physical activity is crucial for overall health, its impact on BMI & WHR can be inconsistent as individual variability in response to exercise, dietary habits, metabolic rate and genetic predispositions etc. and also some other health matrices or hidden factors which should be explored through further research. While PAL had no significant correlation with BMI or WHR, the PAL-WHR correlation (Beta coefficient = 0.034) was comparatively stronger than PAL-BMI (Beta coefficient = 0.006), suggesting WHR is a more significant health indicator than BMI. This study thus highlighted the need for targeted health interventions in college student’s populationspecially the females to address obesity and the associated risks of cardiovascular and other chronic diseases