Abstract
Background
Previous studies showed that obesity was correlated with many negative social and health outcomes including poor academic achievement and low self-esteem.
Purpose
To determine the prevalence of obesity and to identify the impact of obesity on self-esteem and academic performance among university students.
Method
The study used a correlational design to achieve the study objectives. It was conducted at the University of Jordan (UJ). The study population was all university students in at UJ. A convenience sampling technique was conducted to select 419 students. A self-administered questionnaire was designed to collect data from the sample. The body of the questionnaire was divided into two sections: a demographic data section, and the second section aimed to measure the students’ self-esteem using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES).
Results
The response rate in this study was 91.1%. The results showed that 33 students were obese (7.88%), 116 students were overweight (27.68%), 266 students were normal weight (63.48%), and four students were underweight (0.95%). The results showed that there was a significant negative relationship between obesity and self-esteem (total item) (r = −0.231, 0.000*). The results showed that there was a significant negative relationship between obesity and academic achievement (r = −0.131, 0.002).
Conclusion
There was a significant impact of obesity on the self-esteem and academic performance among university students.
Acknowledgments
We acknowledge the support from all academic doctors in the Public Health Department at the University of Jordan. Moreover, we would like to thank Diana Shaibi (Etiwanda, California) for her valuable assistance and support in editing and revising this manuscript.
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Disclosures: The authors indicated no financial relationships.
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Research funding: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. The authors express their appreciation to all students who participated in this study. In addition, thanks extended to the University of Jordan administration.
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