Excess body weight: causes and consequences (data from the sociological study of students)

Aim. To study the attitude of young people to excess body weight (EBW), its causes and consequences, as well as the level of readiness to maintain normal body weight.

Material and methods. The article analyzes publications and studies on excess body weight as a complex medical, social and psychological problem. The following databases were used: Scopus, CyberLeninka. The study used sociological (online questionnaire) and analytical (interpretation of research data) methods. The empirical basis was an original sociological study of students aged 18 to 35 years, conducted in November 2023 in 7 universities and 8 colleges of the Saratov region. The total sample size for all study stages was 4 852 people.

Results. Young people are well aware of the problem of excess weight (81,6%), which is determined by an unhealthy lifestyle (81,1%), unwillingness to monitor weight (66,5%), a large amount of offered and available fast food and drinks (55,5%). Excess weight is caused by overeating (80,6%), stress (75,8%), beer alcoholism (67,7%) and endocrine diseases (53,1%). The reasons forcing a person to monitor body weight were possible health problems (83,1%) and loss of physical attractiveness (63,8%).

Conclusion. The theoretical knowledge of modern students about potential medical and social problems and risks of EBW and/or obesity does not guarantee a healthy lifestyle as a daily practice. This is most likely due to a conscious choice.

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