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Effect of Obesity Prevention Education on Healthy Weight-Management Practices among University Students in Nigeria

Abstract

Obesity is an important public health concern among university students in Nigeria and may increase the risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic health conditions. University students may experience lifestyle changes that influence weight management, including increased consumption of energy-dense foods, irregular meal patterns, sedentary behaviour, limited physical activity, inadequate sleep, academic stress, and frequent consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. Limited knowledge of healthy weight management and misconceptions about dieting, physical activity, and weight-loss practices may further contribute to unhealthy behaviours. Obesity prevention education provides an opportunity to improve students' understanding of obesity risk factors and promote sustainable healthy weight-management practices. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of obesity prevention education on healthy weight-management practices among university students in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and Social Ecological Model. The Health Belief Model explains how students' perceptions of susceptibility to obesity, perceived severity of obesity-related health consequences, perceived benefits of healthy weight management, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, and cues to action may influence their adoption of healthy practices. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes observational learning, behavioural modelling, self-efficacy, reinforcement, and environmental influences in shaping dietary and physical-activity behaviours. The Social Ecological Model highlights the interaction between individual, interpersonal, institutional, community, and environmental factors in influencing students' ability to maintain healthy weight-management behaviours. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how obesity prevention education may influence healthy weight-management practices among university students in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise undergraduate students aged 18 years and above enrolled in selected public and private universities across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, universities, faculties, departments, academic levels, and eligible students. Obesity prevention education will be assessed using indicators such as exposure to educational sessions, frequency and duration of education, knowledge of healthy dietary practices, portion control, fruit and vegetable consumption, sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, dietary fat and salt intake, physical activity recommendations, sedentary behaviour, sleep, stress management, healthy weight monitoring, risks associated with obesity, and awareness of unhealthy weight-loss practices. Healthy weight-management practices will be assessed using indicators such as regular physical activity, reduced sedentary time, balanced dietary intake, portion control, regular meal patterns, adequate fruit and vegetable consumption, moderation of energy-dense foods and sugar-sweetened beverages, healthy weight monitoring, adequate sleep, stress-management practices, avoidance of unsafe weight-loss methods, and appropriate use of professional nutrition or healthcare services when necessary. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, validated dietary and physical-activity assessment tools, healthy weight-management practice scales, anthropometric measurements such as weight, height, and body mass index where appropriate, and pre-test and post-test assessments where a quasi-experimental intervention is adopted. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize students' demographic and academic characteristics, dietary patterns, physical activity, sedentary behaviour, obesity-related knowledge, and weight-management practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, paired and independent t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the effect of obesity prevention education on healthy weight-management practices. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, practice scores and relevant anthropometric indicators before and after the educational intervention may be compared with those of a comparison group to determine changes associated with the intervention. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that obesity prevention education has a significant positive effect on healthy weight-management practices among university students in Nigeria. Students exposed to structured and practical obesity prevention education are expected to demonstrate greater adoption of healthy dietary, physical-activity, and lifestyle practices than students without comparable exposure. Education may improve students' understanding of balanced nutrition, portion control, regular physical activity, sedentary behaviour, healthy weight monitoring, adequate sleep, and the risks associated with unsafe weight-loss practices. Practical activities such as nutrition demonstrations, portion-size education, physical-activity planning, healthy meal-planning exercises, and weight-management counselling may further strengthen students' ability to apply healthy behaviours in daily life. However, limited access to affordable healthy foods, demanding academic schedules, sedentary lifestyles, financial constraints, limited recreational facilities, peer influence, stress, and unhealthy food environments may reduce the effectiveness of education alone. The study therefore expects accessible, practical, sustained, and supportive obesity prevention education, combined with healthier university environments, to contribute significantly to improved healthy weight-management practices among university students in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on obesity prevention, healthy weight management, university student health, nutrition education, physical activity, non-communicable disease prevention, health promotion, lifestyle modification, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Education, universities, university health centres, nutrition and dietetics professionals, public health practitioners, student health organizations, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for preventing obesity among young adults. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating obesity prevention education into university health programmes, improving access to healthy foods and physical-activity opportunities, strengthening nutrition and lifestyle counselling, promoting healthy weight monitoring, reducing sedentary behaviour, and developing sustainable health-promotion programmes that support healthy weight management among university students across Nigeria.

Keywords: Obesity prevention education, healthy weight-management practices, university students, obesity, nutrition education, physical activity, weight management, non-communicable disease prevention, health promotion, Nigeria, public health.