A study of prevalence of overweight and obesity, and a comparison of college students' attitudes toward physical activity in Damascus University-Branch of Daraa

Abstract

The current study aimed to distinguish the percentage of prevalence of overweight and obesity in college students and to compare their attitudes toward physical activity according to gender and specialty. Kenyon scale for attitudes toward physical activity was used and the WHO classification was applied for the estimation overweight and obesity. The Descriptive-analytical method was applied. The sample consisted of 1007 students (494 males and 513 females). Results indicated that the percentage of overweight and obesity was high in both males and females, where males had 30.36% and females 36.26% and for both sexes 33.37%. In addition, the attitudes of college students toward physical activity were positive in all items of the scale and in the whole scale, this with significant differences in some items of the attitudes between colleges of humanity and natural sciences (general specialty). Additionally, there were significant differences between males and females, and between overweight and obese students and their healthy counterparts.