El impacto de un paquete de información, educación y comunicación sobre los conocimientos, actitudes y calidad de vida en relación a la obesidad entre estudiantes universitarios de Kerala, India: un estudio con métodos mixtos
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71164/socialmedicine.v19i1.2026.2123Palabras clave:
Paquete IEC, estudiantes, conocimiento, actitud, calidad de vida, obesidad, enfermedades relacionadas con el estilo de vidaResumen
Antecedentes. La obesidad durante la primera infancia aumenta el riesgo de desarrollar problemas de salud física y psicosocial posteriormente. Las iniciativas de Información, Educación y Comunicación (IEC) pueden ser eficaces para ampliar conocimientos y promover cambios de comportamiento positivos para prevenir el sobrepeso en los estudiantes. Objetivo. Evaluar la efectividad de un paquete de IEC sobre el conocimiento y las actitudes de los estudiantes con respecto a la obesidad y los factores de estilo de vida relacionados, explorando su calidad de vida psicosocial. Métodos. Se empleó un diseño explicativo secuencial de métodos mixtos con 400 estudiantes universitarios de universidades seleccionadas de Thrissur, Kerala, India. Se recabaron datos cuantitativos mediante un cuestionario estructurado de conocimientos y una escala de actitudes, mientras que los datos cualitativos se obtuvieron mediante debates en grupos focales. Resultados. El paquete de IEC incrementó significativamente los conocimientos (t = 48.92, p < 0.001) y cambió las actitudes (t = 70.65, p < 0.001) de los estudiantes. Los hallazgos cualitativos proporcionaron una comprensión más profunda de las dimensiones emocionales y sociales de la obesidad, lo que subraya la necesidad de apoyo continuo para abordar inquietudes sobre auto-imagen corporal, exclusión social y bienestar emocional. Conclusión. Los hallazgos cuantitativos y cualitativos combinados revelan brechas sustanciales en el conocimiento y actitudes hacia la obesidad, así como importantes desafíos psicosociales que enfrentan los estudiantes obesos.
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