INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND RESEARCH (IJAER) e-ISSN: 3107-3913 ( Vol. 02 | No. 3 | July - September, 2026 )

Knowledge-Behavior Gaps in Obesity Awareness and Management among Young Female Students in Northern India: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Author: Meenakshi Thakur, Jyoti Singh, Nisha Singh, Amiti Sinha & Deeksha Yadav

In India, obesity is a growing social health concern that is being influenced by diverse sociocultural forces and increased prevalence rates among the young population. The study is a survey of 506 female students aged 17-20 years in northern India to explore perceptions and emotional and behavioral patterns towards obesity. Results further demonstrate good awareness of the metabolic risks of obesity, including diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, but poor awareness about the less commonly known complications such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and diabetic retinopathy. Although there is good intention to embrace a healthy lifestyle, there is still inconsistency in the practices. Emotional aspects of body dissatisfaction and peer pressure also make the control of body weight worse. In the context of the National Program for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Stroke (NPCDCS) and the Global Action Plan of Noncommunicable Diseases provided by WHO, the present study promotes collective action as a method to deal with obesity instead of thinking about it as an individual problem.

Thakur, M., Singh, J., Singh, N., Sinha, A. & Yadav, D. (2026). Knowledge-Behavior Gaps in Obesity Awareness and Management among Young Female Students in Northern India: A Cross-Sectional Survey. International Journal of Academic Excellence and Research, 02(03), 45–54. https://doi.org/10.62823/IJAER/02.03.251

  1. Alberts HJEM, Thewissen R, Raes L. Dealing with problematic eating behavior: The effects of a mindfulness-based intervention on eating behavior, food cravings, dichotomous thinking, and body image concern. Appetite. 2012;58(3):847-851. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2012.01.009.
  2. Althubaiti A. Information bias in health research: Definition, pitfalls, and adjustment methods. J Multidiscip Healthc. 2016;9:211-217. doi:10.2147/JMDH.S104807.
  3. Amy NK, Aalborg A, Lyons P, Keranen L. Barriers to routine gynaecological cancer screening for White and African-American obese women. Int J Obes (Lond). 2006;30(1):147-155. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0803105.
  4. Bailey SR, O'Malley J, Gold R, Heintzman J, Likumahuwa S, DeVoe JE. Receipt of diabetes preventive services differs by insurance status at visit. Am J Prev Med. 2017;52(6):735-739. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2017.01.018.
  5. Bethlehem J. Selection bias in web surveys. Int Stat Rev. 2010;78(2):161-188. doi:10.1111/j.1751-5823.2010.00112.x.
  6. Bleich SN, Bennett WL, Gudzune KA, Cooper LA. Impact of physician BMI on obesity care and beliefs. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2012;20(5):999-1005. doi:10.1038/oby.2011.402.
  7. Bray GA, Kim KK, Wilding JPH. Obesity: A chronic, relapsing, progressive disease process. Obes Rev. 2017;18(7):715-720 3. doi:10.1111/obr.12551.
  8. Chowdhury SR, Ghosh A, Sinha A, Ghosh S. Abdominal obesity in India: Analysis of the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-2021) data. Lancet Reg Health Southeast Asia. 2023;15:10012 3. doi:10.1016/j.lansea.2023.100123.
  9. Cheung N, Mitchell P, Wong TY. Diabetic retinopathy. Lancet. 2010;376(9735):124-136. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)62124-3.
  10. Cohen R, Newton-John T, Slater A. The relationship between Facebook and Instagram appearance-focused activities and body image concerns in young women. Body Image. 2017;23:183-187. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2017.10.002.
  11. Drewnowski A, Darmon N. Food choices and diet costs: An economic analysis. J Nutr. 2005;135(4):900-906 4. doi:10.1093/jn/135.4.900.
  12. Forman EM, Butryn ML, Hoffman KL, Herbert JD. An open trial of an acceptance-based behavioural intervention for weight loss. Cogn Behav Pract. 2009;16(2):223-235. doi:10.1016/j.cbpra.2008.09.005.
  13. Harvie MN, Pegington M, Mattson MP, Frystyk J, Dillon B, Evans G, et al. The effects of intermittent or continuous energy restriction on weight loss and metabolic disease risk markers: A randomised trial in young overweight women. Int J Obes (Lond). 2013;37(6):812-818. doi:10.1038/ijo.2012.224.
  14. Holland G, Tiggemann M. A systematic review of the impact of social networking sites on body image and disordered eating outcomes. Body Image. 2016;17:100-110.

doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.02.008.

  1. Islam MM, Poly TN, Walther BA, Yang HC, Li YCJ. Use of mobile phone app interventions to promote weight loss: Meta-analysis. JMIR MHealth UHealth. 2020;8(7):e17039.

doi:10.2196/17039.

  1. Jebeile H, Lister NB, Baur LA, Garnett SP, Paxton SJ. Eating disorder risk in adolescents with obesity. Obes Rev. 2021;22(9):e13173. doi:10.1111/obr.13173.
  2. Konttinen H, Männistö S, Sarlio-Lahteenkorva S, Silventoinen K, Haukkala A. Emotional eating, depressive symptoms, and self-reported food consumption: A population-based study. Appetite. 2010;54(3):473-479. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2010.01.014.
  3. Lee JA, Pause CJ. Stigma in practice: Barriers to health for fat women. Front Psychol. 2016;7:2063. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.02063.
  4. Malik VS, Schulze MB, Hu FB. Intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain: A systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;84(2):274-288. doi:10.1093/ajcn/84.2.274.
  5. Michie S, van Stralen MM, West R. The behavior change wheel: A new method for characterising and designing behavior change interventions. Implement Sci. 2011;6:42. doi:10.1186/1748-5908-6-42.
  6. Michie S, Yardley L, West R, Patrick K, Greaves F. Developing and evaluating digital interventions to promote behavior change in health and health care: Recommendations resulting from an international workshop. J Med Internet Res. 2017;19(6):e232. doi:10.2196/jmir.7126.
  7. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD): Operational Guidelines [Internet]. New Delhi: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; 2023 [cited 2026 Jun 20]. Available from: https://mohfw.gov.in
  8. Nuttall FQ. Body mass index: Obesity, BMI, and health: A critical review. Nutr Today. 2015;50(3):117–128. doi:10.1097/NT.0000000000000092.
  9. Poelman MP, Gillebaart M, Schlinkert C, Dijkstra SC, Derksen E, Mensink F, et al. Eating behavior and food purchases during the COVID-19 lockdown: A cross-sectional study among adults in Europe. Appetite. 2021;157:105002. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2020.105002.
  10. Puhl RM, Heuer CA. Obesity stigma: Important considerations for public health. Am J Public Health. 2010;100(6):1019–1028. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2009.159491.
  11. Puhl RM, Peterson JL, Luedicke J. Fighting obesity or obese persons? Public perceptions of obesity-related health messages. Int J Obes (Lond). 2015;39(2):312–315.

doi:10.1038/ijo.2014.186.

  1. Rothman KJ. BMI-related errors in the measurement of obesity. Int J Obes (Lond). 2008;32(Suppl 3):S56–S59. doi:10.1038/ijo.2008.87.
  2. Rubino F, Puhl RM, Cummings DE, Eckel RH, Ryan DH, Mechanick JI, et al. Joint international consensus statement for ending stigma of obesity. Nat Med. 2020;26(4):485–497. doi:10.1038/s41591-020-0803-x.
  3. Sheeran P, Webb TL. The intention–behaviour gap. Soc Personal Psychol Compass. 2016;10(9):503–518. doi:10.1111/spc3.12265.
  4. Sogari G, Velez-Argumedo C, Gómez MI, Mora C. College students and eating habits: A study using an ecological model for healthy behaviour. Nutrients. 2018;10(12):1823. doi:10.3390/nu10121823.
  5. Swinburn BA, Kraak VI, Allender S, Atkins VJ, Baker PI, Bogard JR, et al. The global syndemic of obesity, undernutrition, and climate change: The Lancet Commission report. Lancet. 2019;393(10173):791–846. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32822-8.
  6. Thaler RH, Sunstein CR. Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness. New Haven (CT): Yale University Press; 2008. doi:10.2307/j.ctvcm4j8j.
  7. Torres SJ, Nowson CA. Relationship between stress, eating behaviour, and obesity. Nutrition. 2007;23(11–12):887–894. doi:10.1016/j.nut.2007.08.008.
  8. Turer CB, Barlow SE, Sarwer DB, et al. Motivational interviewing in primary care to treat pediatric obesity: Results from the BMI2 trial. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2013;21(1):20–26. doi:10.1002/oby.20263.
  9. UNICEF India. Nutrition and Child Development in India [Internet]. New Delhi: UNICEF India; 2025 [cited 2026 Jun 20]. Available from: https://www.unicef.org/india
  10. Varady KA. Intermittent versus daily calorie restriction: Which diet regimen is more effective for weight loss? Obes Rev. 2011;12(7):e593–e601. doi:10.1111/j.1467-789X.2011.00873.x.
  11. Younossi ZM, Koenig AB, Abdelatif D, Fazel Y, Henry L, Wymer M. Global epidemiology of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease—Meta-analytic assessment of prevalence, incidence, and outcomes. Hepatology. 2016;64(1):73–84. doi:10.1002/hep.28431.
  12. World Health Organisation. Obesity and overweight [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organisation; 2022 [cited 2026 Jun 20]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight.

DOI:

Article DOI: 10.62823/IJAER/02.03.251

DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.62823/IJAER/02.03.251

Download Full Paper:
Download PDF