CHAPTER 4: DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
4.2 DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
4.2.7 Students’ Body Mass Index (BMI)
BMI is a useful tool to judge if one is at healthy weight, based on the ratio of weight to height expressed in kg/m2 with underweight from 18.4 and below, normal weight ranging from 18.5 to 24.9kg/m2, overweight 25 to 29.9kg/m2 and obese 30kg/m2 and above.
Table 4.7 shows the number of students in different weight categories.
Table 4.7: Body Mass Index of students (n=100)
Weight Frequency Percentage
Underweight (18.4kg/m2 and below)
27 27%
Normal weight (18.5 to 24.9kg/m2) 5 5%
Overweight (25 to 29.9kg/m2) 37 37%
Obese (30kg/m2 and above) 31 31%
Total 100 100%
Table 4.7 shows that only 5% of the respondents were of normal weight while 27%
were underweight and those overweight and obese put together comprised the majority with 68%. According to Cole et al., (2000:111) excess weight increases how hard the heart has to work and thus, it also raises blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels and can make a person more likely to develop diabetes, and this condition triggers continuous tiredness and one would lose concentration thereby negatively impacting on academic attainment.
Research from national surveys and longitudinal cohorts has identified the transition between adolescence and adulthood as a period of increased risk for excess weight gain (Worthington-Roberts & Williams, 2000:344). Furthermore, a growing number of
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individuals are now becoming obese during adolescence and are exposed to a wide array of precursors to poor-diet quality and inactivity before the emerging adult years.
Although sedentary behaviours may also be important determinants of weight status, little is known about these behaviours among college students (Mokdad et al., 1999:1519). Recent evidence has suggested that dieting frequency and unhealthy weight control may be associated with weight gain and poor-diet quality (Ebbeling, Pawlak & Ludwig, 2010:54).
The above results suggest that poor diet quality negatively impacts on academic performance. Normal body weight is associated with increased energy and ability to participate in many activities (Cole et al., 2000:113). The benefits that go with normal weight are associated with good dietary conditions for sound academic attainment and performance. Results of this study suggest that 68% of the students are at high risk of chronic diseases associated with overweight and obesity which consequently affects overall health and educational attainment.
Those who were underweight comprised 27% of the students and by implication, when students are underweight they are not healthy and it is a sign that they are not getting enough nutrients to keep a healthy body. The Zimbabwean population, students inclusive, has suffered food insecurity for the past three decades and has experienced lack of basic food coupled with insufficient monthly income rendering inability to source from neighbouring countries. According to Helwig, (2009:186) for students are usually underweight due to insufficient intake of food either because of lack of food or skipping meals because of pressure of work. When one is underweight, this is associated with tiredness, an overpowering urge to sleep all day and inability to do simple daily tasks. These are unfavourable conditions for sound academic performance since relationship between nutrition and academic work lies on the notion that a healthy body is able to maintain a healthy mind, which suggests that certain risk factors for a physically ill-health are also risk factors for cognitive impairment (Manwa, 2013:195). The next section looks at the number of students involved in physical activity, and results are indicated in table 4.8.
94 4.2.8 Physical activity
Exercise has been proven to have an effect on dietary choices and academic performance (LaFountaine et al., 2012:217). This implies that exercise keeps the mind alert hence promote academic performance Therefore, the types and amounts of foods that people take among other variables, depends on their recreational or physical activities.
Table 4.8 shows the number of students involved in physical and the number not involved.
Table 4.8: Students’ Physical activities (n=100)
Do you do any physical activity
Frequency Percentage
Yes 4 4%
No 96 96%
Total 100 100%
On the level of activity, only 4% of the students were active and the rest who comprised 96% did not participate in any physical activities. Therefore, the majority of the college students did not meet recommendations for physical activity. This research study confirms the assertion by other researchers that, during the transition to college, exercise and fitness levels appear to decrease, and are unlikely to improve as students‟ age increases, reflecting the potential continued decline in food consumption over time (Hoffman et al., 2006:44). Exercise improves metabolic efficiency in some people and increases nutrient requirement (Haberman & Luffey, 1998:191). An athlete will need a different nutritional requirement to that of an office worker due to the different levels of activity. The study established through interviews that the number one reason for not exercising in college was lack of time. The results suggest that students were at high risk of obesity and overweight due to lack of exercise yet they consumed a lot of energy foods but would not expend the energy. If energy intake in food exceeds the amount of energy expended by an individual, then
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the excess is stored in the body as fat which is one of the major causes of obesity, a very negative condition for performance.
The students were also asked if they had nutrition knowledge and the responses were as presented in Table 4.9 in the next section.