Nutritional status of students in Novi Sad between 1990/91 and 2010/11
Nutritional status of students in Novi Sad between 1990/91 and 2010/11

Summary/Abstract: Objectives. The study of nutritional status is very important in assessing the health status of populations. Underweight or overweight individuals are more susceptible to serious health problems. Due to inadequate diet and a lifestyle lacking physical activity, an increasing number of individuals fall into the category of the overweight or obese. According to the Health Care Institute of Serbia, more than half of the adult population in Serbia (54%) have a problem with overweight: 36.7% of the population are overweight, while 17.3% are obese. The highest prevalence is in North Serbia - Vojvodina, where the percentages of overweight and obese people are 35.5% and 23%, respectively. Given the high percentage of adults who have the problem of excessive weight, the aim of this study was to determine the nutritional status of students and their changes over two decades. Material and methods. Research material was collected in two periods, among 399 female and 128 male university students in the city of Novi Sad. The first period was between 1990/91 and the second between 2010/11. For each subject, height and body weight was measured. Nutritional status was determined on the basis of BMI, according to WHO standards.Results and conclusions. The average prevalence for both periods shows a significantly higher percentage of underweight among female (8.05%) compared with male (2.92%) students, while the percentage of students with excessive weight was significantly higher in males (22.55%), than in females (11.41%). Research has shown that over two decades there has been some increase in overweight, which is particularly evident in males.

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