FACTORS AFFECTING BMI

Objective: To examine the effect of different sociodemographic factors on the BMI. Study Design: Descriptive CrossSectional Study. Place and Duration of Study: People of Ghulam Mohammadabad and Marzi Pura attending OPD at IndependentUniversity Hospital Ghulam Mohammadabad and Marzi Pura Faisalabad. One Month of duration extending from July to August 2012.Patients and Methods: 493 respondents were selected by convenient sampling. A semi structured questionnaire was used to collect theinformation from the sample. First of all, an informed consent was obtained from the respondents under study and secrecy of theinformation was ensured. By data analysis through SPSS Version 17, frequency tables were prepared. Results: The result of this studyshows that BMI is less than 18.5 in 25.4% of the males as compared to 11.5% in females. 22.9% married persons were having BMI above30 as compared to 6.6 percent unmarried. This study also shows 21.1% of the smokers were having BMI above 30 as compared to 18.3%in non smokers. Similarly 18.2% of the respondents sleeping less than 10 hours per day were having BMI above 30 as compare to 15.4%sleeping more than 10 hours per day. Result also shows 25.8% diabetics having 18.5 to 24 BMI while 21.5% in non diabetics. There wasfamily history of obesity in 22.4% only. Conclusions: Males are more underweight as compared to females and that females are alwayson higher side of BMI. Married persons were more obese as compared to unmarried. Per month income, background history of diabetesmellitus and family history of obesity found to have a profound effect on BMI.