Obesity and its relationship with other cardiovascular risk factors in a population of university students in downtown Bogotá
Obesity and its complications are one of the major pandemics at the global level, especially type 2 diabetes that is associated with insulin resistance. The purpose of this paper is to describe the relationship between obesity and other cardiovascular risk factors of university students in downtown Bogota. After obtaining an informed consent, we proceeded to the measurement of the following body parts: triceps skinfold and suprascapular through adipometer, waist circumference, body mass index, lean mass, fat mass and fat glucose, total percentage among others. Blood samples were also taken to determine blood cholesterol, triglycerides, and lipoproteins, whose relationship allows the calculation of the atherogenic index.
From a final sample of 76 students, 15.5 % was overweight; 76.5 % was considered within normal ranges; and the 8.0 % was underweight. In regard to the data by sex, it was found that a 5.5 % of men and 19.0 % of women were overweight and 5.5 % of men and 8.6 % of the women had low weight, there were no obese people in any case. The waist perimeter varied between 68 and 97 cm in men and between 61 and 92 cm in women, finally the fat percentage was between 27.6 and 30.7 in men and from 11.0 to 36.9 in women. Taking into account the results obtained, it is important to promote in our population a culture of healthy habits, characterized by a healthy diet and increased physical activity; it is also recommended, especially during the first years of life, as it is in this stage where the majority of these habits are acquired and will last for life.
