Effect of the Body Mass Index on Academic Performance of Undergraduates: With Special Reference to the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

Abstract

This study will ease the unscientific belief that most parents and teachers have the overweight persons are sluggish, lazy and sleepy; therefore would not do well in academic performance at the university. The objective was to determine the relationship between Body Mass Index and Academic Performance. A descriptive cross- Sectional design was used. The study was conducted in University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka for undergraduate students. The subject included a random selection of 2500 undergraduates. (198 Male and 251 Female). Actabit BMI calculator and grade point average (GPA) scores were used to collect data. BMI was calculated from each student‘s height and weight recordings. AP was determined by each student‘s cumulative university GPA. Researcher used cross-tabulation analysis from SPSS 21, to identify the relationship between both categorical and scale data. Chi-square test revealed significant differences in BMI and GPA. The descriptive results showed significant associations between BMI and AP (P<.001). According to the results we observed a strong association between the BMI and AP X2 (6) = 97.496, P=.000. This study demonstrated that normal weight had higher GPA scores than their overweight counterparts, underscoring the need to intensify interventions focused on reducing and preventing obesity among university population.