Overweight and Obesity and Associated Risk Factors among the Iranian Middle-Aged Women

Background: Overweight and obesity is considered to be a worldwide epidemic that its incidence is increasing and has become a global public health. Overweight and obesity has significant contributing factor in the development of various chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, stroke, osteoarthritis, and certain cancers. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a group of Iranian middle-aged women and the association with some socio-demographic factors. Methods: The study was undertaken among women aged 40-60 years in Semnan, Iran. The Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated by measuring height and weight. Socio-demographic variables collected were age, marital status, household income, employment, educational level, residential area, number of children, life satisfaction and menopausal status. Results: A total of 749 women were included. The prevalence of overweight/obesity was high (80.8%). Educational level and menopausal status were strongly associated with obesity. Other socio-demographic variables were not significantly associated with overweight/obesity. Comparison with two previous studies in this region showed that the prevalence of overweight is increasing in women. Conclusions: This study showed high prevalence of overweight and obesity in middle-aged women. Overweight and obesity have had no significant association with most socio-demographic variables.