Body mass index levels in students living in areas of military conflict

Abstract

At present, human health and related elements face ongoing risks from environmental conditions. Thus, regular tracking of health metrics gains significant importance. The research objective is to assess the BMI level of students residing in areas affected by the extended military conflict in Ukraine. The study involved students from three universities in Ukraine (96 men and 160 women). Prior to the experiment, these students had been living a sedentary life due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic (beginning in 2020) and the ongoing war in Ukraine (starting February 24, 2022). They spent a cumulative total of three and a half years in this challenging setting. Data gathering was carried out through a Google Form, which comprised details such as the student’s name or alias, gender, height, weight, academic year, field of study, and university association. The PyCharm CE platform and a range of Python programming libraries were employed for the statistical analysis of the data. The study revealed that the mean Body Mass Index (BMI) values are 22.73 kg/m2 in males and 21.20 kg/m2 in females. Among women, the BMI breakdown is: 73.75% normal weight, 17.5% underweight, 7.5% overweight, and 1.25% obese. For men, the figures are: 69.79% normal weight, 20.83% overweight, 5.21% underweight, and 4.17% obese. The outcomes stress the necessity of a tailored approach to body mass control, considering genderspecific, educational, and societal-cultural factors.