Abstract

Background: Medical students represent a highly educated population under significant pressures. For mental and anxiety disorders in medical students, obesity is considered as a risk factor.
Objective: A cross-sectional study was conducted to find out the relationship of anxiety with obesity and gender among these students.
Materials and Methods: After initial screening of 202 students (90 males and 102 females), their BMI and WHR were assessed. By using Zung self-rating anxiety scale and the association of body mass index (BMI) and waist hip ratio (WHR) with anxiety score was evaluated. Result: Anxiety score was normal (79 females and 83 males), mild to moderate (21 females and 5 males), moderate to severe (2 females and 2 males). By using Student’s unpaired t test, no significant difference of anxiety score among 2 2 students with BMI > 23 kg/m and with BMI < 23 kg/m in both sexes has been found. Also, there was no significant differ - ence of anxiety score among students with higher WHR (males > 0.88 and females > 0.81) and with lesser WHR (males < 0.88 and females < 0.81). Using Pearson’s correlation, no significant correlation of BMI and WHR with anxiety score in both sexes has been found. Conclusion: The present study suggests the presence of stress in the form of increased anxiety score in medical students; but anxiety score has no direct association with BMI as well as with WHR. So, the concentration was needed on different risk factors for anxiety disorders in medical students and to take efforts to reduce them.