The present study was undertaken with the objectives i) to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity among the nursing students in a tertiary hospital and ii) to find out their perception of body image. A total of 235 nursing students participated in the study. The study revealed that 8.1% of them were overweight and 29.4% were obese. 35.2 % of the students who were overweight or obese had history of non-communicable diseases in their fathers (P<0.01). 56.8% of the students who were overweight or obese were not satisfied with their body image (P<0.001).Nurses need to be role models for bringing about a change in behaviour related to health of patients in hospitals as well as in the community. They therefore require to bring about a change in their own behaviors with regard to diet and exercise so as to maintain a healthy weight and be more effective as weight management advisors.
