Prevalence of obesity and altered lipid profile in university students [Prevalencia de obesidad y perfil lip�dico alterado en j�venes universitarios]

Introduction: Obesity is a serious public health problem because its association with the risk to develop various chronic diseases. Atherogenic dyslipidemia that often accompany obesity is also associated to the metabolic syndrome and to cardiovascular diseases. The transition from adolescence to young adulthood appears to be a period where major changes occur in the lifestyle which contributes to the development of obesity, however, little attention has been given to this transition stage. The inclination to adopt unhealthy behaviors which occurs during early adulthood may be increased on university students because their lifestyle, which is characterized by lack of time to eat a healthy diet, which can make them susceptible to obesity. Objective: To determine the prevalence of obesity and lipid levels abnormalities and their relationship in a group of university students. Methods: Transversal study of university students aged between 18 and 24 years. Body mass index, waist circumference and blood lipid profile where evaluated. Results: Of the 620 students surveyed about one-third have either overweight or obesity. 86% of students had at least one alteration in the evaluated parameters. Lipid profile results show a high prevalence of minor alterations in levels, particularly in cholesterol linked to low density lipoproteins levels. Conclusions: University young students have a high prevalence of overweight and plasma lipid levels above the norm, but most are in the low-risk categories. It is necessary to establish early preventive measures aimed at promoting in the university student good eating habits and increased physical activity