Alcohol consumption, waist circumference and percentage of body fat in university students of the faculty of chemical sciences of the National University of Asuncion. 2022

Abstract

Introduction: The university population is vulnerable to alcohol consumption due to multiple factors, mainly social ones. Overweight and obesity constitute a public health problem due to their high global prevalence, with excessive alcohol consumption being a potential risk factor for these conditions.

Objective: To determine the correlation between alcohol consumption, waist circumference, and body fat percentage in students of the Faculty of Chemical Sciences at the National University of Asunción evaluated during August-September 2022.

Materials and methods: Analytical observational cross-sectional study with non-probabilistic sampling of consecutive cases. A total of 191 university students from the 7 degree programs at FCQ-UNA were evaluated using the AUDIT Test to assess alcohol consumption, anthropometry, and multifrequency bioimpedance (Inbody 120) to evaluate body composition. The research was approved by the FCQ-UNA Ethics Committee (CEI 831/2022).

Results: 62.8% were women. The mean age was 22±3 years. 36% were overweight or obese and 71% had elevated fat mass. The average AUDIT Test score was 7 points (low risk). Men showed higher risk consumption (53.5%) than women (29.2%). No statistically significant correlation was found between alcohol consumption and body fat percentage in either sex (p=0.47 women; p=0.06 men), but a low and statistically significant correlation was found between alcohol consumption and waist circumference (p=0.004 women; p=0.01 men).

Conclusion: Most students presented a low risk level of alcohol consumption. More than one-third showed overweight or obesity and more than two-thirds had elevated body fat percentage. No significant correlation was found between alcohol consumption and total body fat percentage, but there is a significant relationship with waist circumference, suggesting a possible association with abdominal adiposity.