PERCEIVED KNOWLEDGE OF THE HEALTH IMPLICATION OF OBESITY AMONG UNDERGRADUATES IN THE UNIVERSITY OF BENIN

ABSTRACT

First, the project will explore the perceptions and knowledge of undergraduate students in the university of benin on the health implications of obesity. This includes understanding the definition of obesity, its prevalence in the population, and the health consequences of obesity. Next, the project will assess the students' perceptions of their own risk of developing obesity. This will include their knowledge of the risk factors for obesity, such as diet, exercise, and genetic factors. Finally, the project will examine the students' willingness to make lifestyle changes to prevent obesity. The findings of the project will provide insights into the need for health education and interventions to improve the health of undergraduate students. This will include their knowledge of healthy eating habits and physical activity. The study recommends stakeholders to make policies that will recognize and address the emerging challenges of childhood overweight and obesity in Nigeria in general during this period of Health Sector Reform. This study was carried out to investigate the knowledge of the health benefits of exercise in pregnancy among women attending primary health care in Ekosodin, Ovia Northeast Local Government Area, Benin City, Edo state. Three (3) research questions were raised to guide the study and the literatures related to the study were also reviewed. The descriptive research design was adopted for this study. The population of the study consisted of 40 (Forty) pregnant women attending primary health care in Ekosodin, Ovia Northeast Local Government Area. The instrument used for the study was a questionnaire on the 'Knowledge of the Health Benefits of Exercise in Pregnancy Among Women Attending Primary Health Care in Ekosodin, Ovia Northeast Local Government Area of Edo State'. The questionnaire was validated by the project supervisor and two other lecturers from the department of Health, Safety, and Environmental Education (HSE). The test-retest reliability method using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient formulae was used to obtain the reliability coefficient. Data obtained from the instrument were analyzed using frequency count and percentages. Findings from the study revealed that majority of the respondents; have a high knowledge of the health benefits of exercise in pregnancy, are not affected by the factors influencing utilization of antenatal care services, and regularly engage in exercise. Based on the findings, the researcher recommended that there should be regular health education sessions in local communities to increase awareness about the benefits of antenatal care. Nurses in the area should also include benefits of exercise in their health talks during antenatal clinic to prevent the negative perception about pregnant mothers’. Women should be careful when planning to engage in these activities (exercise), mainly when starting only during pregnancy. Local community leaders, religious and traditional leaders should be engaged to champion antenatal care education within their communities.