A lesson from Bollywood

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Estimation of body mass index and risk evaluation of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in undergraduate students

Background: The body mass index (BMI) is used in a wide variety of contexts as a simple method to assess how much an individual's body weight departs from what is normal or desirable for a person of his or her height. An increase in body fat is generally associated with increased risk of metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidaemia.Methods: The study conducted on the undergraduate medical students was a cross-sectional analytical study. The BMI was calculated using the formula, BMI = Body Mass (kg)/Height (m2). The blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), blood sugar levels (fasting blood sugar) and fasting lipid levels were measured for the overweight and obese groups.Results: A total of 305 students participated in the study. The mean BMI was 21.47 with a standard deviation of 3.42. 218 (71.47%), were in the healthy, 26 (8.52%) were in the overweight and 6 (1.96%) were in the obese categories. 16 (61.5%) of the overweight subjects were prehypertensives. 4 (66.7%) of the obese subjects were hypertensives. 2 (7.69%) out of the 26 overweight subjects were in prediabetic stage. 22 (84.61%) of the overweight and 5 (83.33%) of the obese subjects had dyslipidaemias.Conclusions: The prevalence of being overweight and obese among undergraduate medical students is a matter of serious concern. This reflects on the students’ poor dietary habits and inadequate physical activity. A serious approach to reduce body weight through dietary modifications and regular physical activity is the need of the hour.

The role of income inequalities in aspirational consumption

The presented study explores reported rises in aspirational consumption in the developing economies and asks whether such a rise may be subject to a leveling effect seen in developed economies or not. Viewing status consumption in a generic context, the study assumes an explicit link between status goals and economic goals of the consumer. The empirical analyses then assess possible rises in consumption by examining the role of household permanent income on food and education - both of which are observed to carry a status value in sub-Saharan Africa. The three chapters in the study draw a set of independent conclusions on effects of inequality on status consumption. The equilibrium conditions discussed in the first theoretical chapter for a model of status as a position hierarchy where consumers are able to move between through social capital investments reveal that positional contests can become uncompetitive with a rise in income inequality. This first chapter highlights two types of long-term equilibria where either only rich consumers participate in status competitions or both rich and poor participate. The empirical second chapter explores the role of household permanent income on food quality in Tanzania to observe that permanent income - alongside with availability of electricity in the country - may have a segregating effect on food quality. The third chapter compares education expenses in Nigeria and Tanzania - finding that education expenses in Nigeria are more significantly influenced by local wealth levels than permanent income. In light of the two long-term equilibria discussed in the first chapter, the study highlights how a rise in expenditure on status items as a common need may contribute to rise in status consumption in developing economies when the consumption of such items is linked with perceptions of mobility