Association Of Lifestyle Habits and Visceral Fat Accumulation Among UniSZA Staff

An increase in visceral fat, knows as fat that surrounds the abdominal organs deep within the body causes obesity, particularly abdominal obesity [1]. National Health and Morbidity Survey   2019 has reported 1 in 2 adults in Malaysia had abdominal obesity [2]. The increased incidence of abdominal obesity  raises the risk of cardiovascular disease [2]. Visceral fat accumulation has been linked to unhealthy lifestyle and is frequently accompanied with metabolic imbalance and fluid retention because on insulin resistance, which can lead to metabolic syndrome [4]. Visceral fat accumulation is influenced by socio-demographic factors and lifestyle habits. However, only a few studies have looked at the relationship between lifestyle choices and visceral fat accumulation. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the association between lifestyle habits and accumulation of visceral fat among staff in Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin. A total of 107 staff who work at department or faculty in UniSZA aged 18 to 59 years old were recruited using a purposive sampling method. Information on socio- demographic, anthropometric, mealtime pattern, physical activity, sedentary behavior and working hour were obtained. NHMS 2014 questionnaires was used to measure lifestyle habits of the participants. The respondents (mean age: 37.7 ± 8.1 years) were predominantly male (50.5%), Malay (100%), married (77.6%), highest education in bachelor’s degree (35.5%), and a monthly salary of RM 1000 and above. The study revealed half (54.2%) of the respondent from the overweight and obese category of BMI. The percentage of overweight is 36.4 while obese is 20.6. However, half of them had a normal visceral fat range, 54.2%. Waist circumference and waist-hip ratio at risk is highest among female (62.3%) and male (55.6%), respectively. The study shows high prevalence of overweight/ obese and abdominal obesity indicate the respondent has high risk of chronic disease such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Thus, it is suggested that future intervention programs should focus on preventing overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity to prevent from problems related to chronic diseases.