Junk Food Consumption and Its Association with Anthropometric Indices and Cardiovascular Parameters among College Going Students

Abstract

Background: Junk foods are defined as meals or beverages with little nutritional value that are made to be easily accessible for consumption with little to no thought to their nutritional potential. The present study has been objectively conducted to assess the association of consumption of junk foods with anthropometric indices and its impact on blood pressure levels. Methods: The present study was conducted on 200 medical students at Postgraduate Department of Physiology, Government Medical College, Jammu over a period of one year from November 2019 to October 2020. Results: Mean weight and mean height of studied individuals was 62.39±3.75 kg and 165.44 ± 9.50 cms respectively. The study population's mean body mass index (BMI), which ranged from 16.19 to 37.7 kg/m2, was 22.74±3.17 kg/m2. The average waist circumference, average hip circumference (HC) and the average waist-to-hip ratio of studied individuals was (79.83±9.30) cms, (93.25 ± 8.34) cms, and (0.85 ± 0.07) respectively. The study population's average systolic and diastolic blood pressure was 120.08 ± 8.85 mmHg and 79.06 ± 5.82 mmHg respectively. Conclusion: The findings of the present study revealed that there was no significant association of junk food/soda drinks consumption with BMI, WHR, systolic BP, and diastolic BP. Keywords: Junk Food Consumption, Anthropometric Indices, Cardiovascular Parameters, BMI, WHR, BP, College Going Students