Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran.
Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Jun 24;24(1):1673. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-19184-4.
Obesity is a global health concern, and understanding its prevalence among medical students is crucial for shaping targeted interventions. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to comprehensively assess the prevalence of obesity and overweight among medical students.
A systematic literature search was conducted across major databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, in order to identify relevant studies that evaluated obesity and overweight among medical students. Inclusion criteria encompassed published and peer-reviewed studies reporting the prevalence of obesity among medical students.
A total of 1245 studies were screened based on their titles and abstracts, and 99 studies comprised a total sample size of 47,455 medical students across diverse geographical regions were included in this study. The overall pooled prevalence of overweight among medical students was estimated at 18% (95% CI: 17%-20%), with obesity at 9% (95% CI: 7%-11%). The combined prevalence of excess weight (overweight and obesity) was calculated to be 24% (95% CI: 22%-27%). Meta-regression results indicated a significant correlation between study year and overweight/obesity prevalence (p < 0.05), with a trend towards increasing prevalence over time. Male medical students exhibited a higher pooled prevalence, increasing with the percentage of male participants.
This systematic review and meta-analysis provide a comprehensive overview of the prevalence of obesity among medical students globally. In summary, obesity and overweight present a substantial worldwide health concern, especially among susceptible groups such as medical students, whose prevalence is on the rise. It is crucial to grasp the extent and contributing factors of obesity among medical students to formulate precise interventions aimed at fostering healthier habits and alleviating the adverse impacts of obesity on both physical and mental health.
肥胖是一个全球性的健康问题，了解医学生中的肥胖流行情况对于制定有针对性的干预措施至关重要。本系统评价和荟萃分析旨在全面评估医学生肥胖和超重的流行情况。
通过对包括 PubMed、Scopus 和 Web of Science 在内的主要数据库进行系统文献检索，以确定评估医学生肥胖和超重的相关研究。纳入标准包括报告医学生肥胖和超重流行率的已发表和同行评议研究。
根据标题和摘要筛选出 1245 项研究，其中 99 项研究共纳入了来自不同地理区域的 47455 名医学生，总样本量。医学生超重的总体汇总患病率估计为 18%（95%CI：17%-20%），肥胖患病率为 9%（95%CI：7%-11%）。超重和肥胖的合并患病率计算为 24%（95%CI：22%-27%）。荟萃回归结果表明，研究年份与超重/肥胖患病率之间存在显著相关性（p<0.05），且随着时间的推移，患病率呈上升趋势。男医学生的总体患病率较高，且随着男参与者比例的增加而增加。
本系统评价和荟萃分析全面概述了全球医学生肥胖的流行情况。总之，肥胖和超重是一个全球性的健康问题，特别是在医学生等易感人群中，其患病率呈上升趋势。了解医学生肥胖的程度和相关因素对于制定精确的干预措施以培养更健康的习惯以及减轻肥胖对身心健康的不利影响至关重要。
