The Prevalence of Determinants of Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome and Overweight in Middle-Aged Urban Women Living in a Megacity Publisher



Abbaspoor Z¹ ; Miryan M^{2, 7} ; Haghighizadeh MH³ ; Rashidi H⁴ ; Sharifipoor F^{1, 5} ; Amani R⁶ Show Affiliations
Source: Family Medicine and Primary Care Review Published:2020

Abstract

Background. Obesity is a major health problem that can lead to chronic illness. Objectives. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of determinants of obesity and overweight in middle-aged women in the city of Ahvaz. Material and methods. This cross-sectional study was carried out on 600 urban women between 30–65 years of age that were invited to the Health Centres of Ahvaz, Iran, from April to November 2018. A randomised, multi-stage cluster sampling was used, and data was collected using demographic information, a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) and an International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). General obesity was considered as a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m². Results. The mean age of participants was 38.9 ± 8 years of age. In total, 73% were overweight and/or obese. The incidence of obesity was higher with illiterate, housewives and older women (p < 0.05). Obesity had a significant positive correlation with family size, the number of obese persons in the family and quantity of daily snacks (p < 0.05), as well as a reverse correlation with consuming oral con-traceptive. There was relationship between BMI and consumption of red meat, fast food and snacks (p < 0.05), although in the general score of the food frequency questionnaire, the relations were not significant. Conclusions. Prevention education programmes for achieving higher education, lesser family dimension, changes in lifestyle, includ-ing having a healthier nutritional diet, consuming the less fast food and red meat and more fruits and vegetables are recommended. © Copyright by Wydawnictwo Continuo 173.