Prevalence of Sedentary Behaviour and Its Association with Body Mass Index (BMI) Among the Undergraduate Students
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Background: Sedentary behaviour is common among university students and may contribute to adverse health outcomes, although its relationship with body mass index remains inconsistent. Objective: To determine the prevalence of sedentary behaviour and assess its association with BMI categories among undergraduate students in Mirpur, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted over six months in 2025 at three universities. Students aged 18–26 years were recruited through convenience sampling. Of 266 students assessed, 10 met the exclusion criteria, leaving 256 for analysis. Sedentary behaviour was assessed using the Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire and categorized as low, moderate, or high. Height and weight were recorded to calculate and classify BMI. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson’s chi-square test in IBM SPSS Statistics version 27. Results: Among the analyzed participants, 101 (39.5%; 95% CI 33.7%–45.6%) had low, 89 (34.8%; 95% CI 29.2%–40.8%) had moderate, and 66 (25.8%; 95% CI 20.8%–31.5%) had high sedentary behaviour. Overall, 155 (60.5%; 95% CI 54.4%–66.3%) had moderate or high sedentary behaviour. Sedentary-behaviour category was not associated with BMI category, χ²(10) = 4.377, p = 0.929; Cramér’s V = 0.092. Conclusion: Moderate or high sedentary behaviour was common, but no unadjusted cross-sectional association with BMI category was identified
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