Body Weight and Academic Performance among Medical Students at a Nigerian Higher Education Institution in Kano

The current study looked at the relationship between body weight and academic performance among students at Yusuf Maitama Sule University Kano's Basic Medical Science program. A stratified sampling technique was used to select subjects for a correlational survey study. A total of 162 male and female subjects who met the inclusion criteria were chosen. On approval by the University's ethical committee, each student's cumulative grade point average (CGPA) was collected. A standiometer was used to assess their weights (kg) and heights (m). SPSS version 20.0 was used to analyze the data, with a ?0.05 considered significant. The subjects' mean ages (Years), weights (Kg), heights (m), BMI, and CGPA were found to be 22.55 ± 3.52, 54.14 ± 7.72, 1.65 ± 0.09, 20.04 ± 1.14, and the minimum and maximum of CGPA were 1.18 and 4.89, respectively. A significant relationship between sexual dimorphism and weight and height was observed, with males having a higher mean value in both weight and height (P – value = 0.00). There was no significant difference in CGPA or BMI between males and females (P–value = 0.983 and 0.905, respectively). Correlation of CGPA with weight, height, and BMI between males and females shows no significant differences. This study demonstrates that weight and gender differences are not related to academic performance among the subjects under study, contrary to other hypotheses.

Key Words: Weight, Height, Gender, Academic Performance and Cumulative grade point average (CGPA)