Correlation Between Body Mass Index (BMI) And Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG) Level Among Undergraduate Students

Body mass index (BMI) is simple, low cost and a good proxy for adiposity and overweight related problems. It is used to raise awareness to several disease and severe health issues in the population such as obesity. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) level is used to diagnose the pre-diabetic and diabetic state of individuals. This study was designed to determine the correlation between BMI and FBG level among undergraduate students, between the ages of 18 - 24 years old of SEGi University Kota Damansara based on the gender and ethnicity. Population for this study was 126 students, 71 females (30 Malays, 21 Chinese and 20 Indians) and 55 males (18 Malays, 20 Chinese and 17 Indians). The participants were randomly selected to participate in our cross-sectional study. Student's weight was measured using a weighing scale and height was measured using a stadiometer. BMI was calculated using formula weight (kg) over height squared (m(2)). For FBG test, students were tested using the Easy Touch Blood Glucose Monitor after a 10 hour overnight fast. All data was tabulated systematically and a statistical analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Science software v22 (SPSS) was performed. The results obtained from BMI analysis showed that among males, Indians had the highest mean BMI value, followed closely by Malays and lastly Chinese. Among females, Malays had the highest mean BMI value, followed closely by Indians and then Chinese. Our study on FBG level showed that among males, Malays had the highest mean FBG level followed by Indians and then Chinese. While among females, Indians had the highest mean FBG level followed by Chinese and then Malays. A significant correlation was obtained between BMI and FBG level for overall male and female participants (p=0.04, r=0.165), male participants (p=0.03, r=0.226) and female participants (p=0.04, r=0.151). The significant correlation observed in this study between BMI and FBG level, can hence be used as a basic guideline to spread awareness amongst Malaysian undergraduate students regarding their lifestyle, diet and daily physical activity in respect to obesity. By doing so, the risks of acquiring non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, stroke and heart diseases can be significantly reduced over time.