Physical activity and body mass index of farming families in Punjab

The present study was conducted in Punjab and aimed to investigate the Body Mass Index (BMI) and physical activity of farming families. A sample of 180 respondents, including 60 men, 60 women, and 60 children from farming families in Punjab, was selected for data collection. An interview schedule was employed to gather information from the respondents. The primary focus was to analyze the Body Mass Index (BMI) and determine the frequency of physical activity within these farming families. The classification of the respondents according to BMI indicated that more of females were overweight than males. The majority of the male respondents were found to be with normal BMI. It was observed that meal pattern and frequency of consumption of fats & oil were positively and significantly correlated with BMI of child respondents. However, the frequency of consumption of roots & tuber and intake of fat was positively and significantly correlated with BMI of female respondents and negative correlation was found between the consumption pattern of other vegetables with BMI of females. The consumption of cereals was found to be positively and significantly correlated with the BMI of male respondents. No association was found between dietary choices of the respondents with BMI. In addition, more than fifty percent of the respondents performed low level of physical activity. The least percentage of respondents were found in good level of physical activity. Physical activity was also reported to be significantly correlated with the BMI of female.