Impact of Obesity on College Student Academic Performance: A Comparison Between the United States and Nigeria

Introduction Obesity is a global health concern, with the prevalence increasing worldwide. In the USA, the prevalence increased from 30.5% to 42.4% among adults from 2000-2018, while in Nigeria, 14.3% of adults were obese in 2020. The rising prevalence of obesity is associated with an increased risk of chronic medical conditions and their complications, leading to increased morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Obesity is no longer solely an adult problem; it now affects children and adolescents. This study aims to compare the impact of obesity on academic performance among college students in the United States and Nigeria. Method This was a cross-sectional study that recruited randomly selected students of Western Illinois University (WIU), Macomb, IL, USA, between August 15, 2019, and December 15, 2019, and Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria, between June 2020 and July 2020. The primary aim was to compare academic performance measured by the cumulative grade point average (CGPA) between obese and propensity score-matched controls with normal body mass index (BMI) in the two colleges. In addition, in the two colleges, students were matched for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and level of schooling. Results A total of 709 and 405 students from WIU and ABUAD were included in the study. Females constituted the majority of students in both schools. The prevalence of obesity was higher among WIU students (30.30%) than ABUAD students (10.62%). The WIU study showed no significant difference in mean CGPA between the obese and matched controls (3.70 ± 0.17 versus 3.73 ± 0.17, p=0.19). Similarly, in the ABUAD study, there was no significant difference in mean CGPA between obese and matched controls (4.05± 0.61 versus 4.19± 0.62, p=0.21). Conclusion In conclusion, our study suggests that obesity does not significantly influence academic performance among college students in the United States and Nigeria. Thus, it is unlikely that obesity alone is a predictor of poor academic performance. Instead, other factors may be responsible for any observed academic performance differences between obese and non-obese students in tertiary institutions.