Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

@article{182186,
        author = {Sana Fathima, Devika Dinesh and Chintha Chandran and Shaiju S Dharan},
        title = {Young adults perspective on obesity: a cross sectional observational study of knowledge, attitude and practices},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2025},
        volume = {12},
        number = {2},
        pages = {1284-1291},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=182186},
        abstract = {Background: Obesity is a growing global health concern, especially among young adults, who are increasingly exposed to sedentary lifestyles, poor dietary habits, and misinformation. Understanding their knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) related to obesity is critical for designing effective prevention strategies.
Method: Cross sectional survey including 111 study subjects. It was conducted through self-structured questionnaires among populations in Kerala.
Result: Statistical analysis using Pearson correlation revealed significant positive associations between knowledge, attitude, and practice scores. Knowledge and attitude were moderately correlated (r = 0.341, p < 0.01), and knowledge and practice showed a weak but significant correlation (r = 0.214, p < 0.05). However, there was no significant correlation between attitude and practice (r = 0.065, p = 0.495). These findings suggest that while improved knowledge may enhance both attitude and practice, a positive attitude alone may not lead to better obesity-related behaviors.
Conclusion: The study found that while young adults generally had fair knowledge and attitudes about obesity, their actual preventive practices were poor especially among those under 19. The weak correlation between knowledge and practice highlights the need for strategies that go beyond education to drive behavior change. Future interventions should focus on motivation, structured programs, and policy-level support to improve obesity-related habits.},
        keywords = {Obesity, Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, dietary habits, sedentary lifestyle.},
        month = {July},
        }