Diet and physical activity levels among obese homemakers in urban udupi — A cross sectional study

Study Background: Obesity is the most prevalent nutritional disorders in developed and in developing countries, especially in India due to urbanization. According to NFHS-4 in 2015-16, in Karnataka state, 31.8% of urban women were obese. Women who are obese in Udupi district as per NFHS-4 (2015-16) is 20.7%. As per WHO (2015), the major reason for overweight and obesity is due to an imbalance in caloric intake and consumed. Obesity management therefore commonly involves diet and increased physical activity. An estimate of current levels of diet intake and physical activity is required for appropriate planning of intervention for obesity. Objectives: To estimate the physical activity levels and diet levels of obese Homemakers in urban Udupi. Method: A cross sectional study was carried out among obese homemakers residing in urban Udupi. A total of 180 obese homemakers were recruited from 30 wards based on BMI criteria at the age group of 30 to 45 years. The physical activity levels were measured in MET values using Global Physical Activity Questionnaire and MET-Minutes per week using a physical activity diary. The diet intake was measured for one week using caloric intake using a diet diary. Results: The mean age of study population was 36.77 years with a standard deviation (SD) of ± 5.089. The mean caloric intake of the study participants were 2076 ± 253.26. One sample ‘t’ test was used to compare the mean caloric intake of participants with the mean standard caloric intake of 1800 calories per day which shows statistically significant difference with p <0.001. The mean physical activity of the study participants were 425 ± 84.05 MET per week. One sample ‘t’ test was used to compare the mean physical levels of participants with the standard physical activity requirements as per WHO i.e.600MET-minutes per week which shows statistically significant differences with p<0.001.