Prevalence of Obesity and Its Association with Socioeconomic Factors in Elderly Iranians from Razavi-Khorasan Province

Mohsen Nematy,M T Shakeri,Ali Sakhdari,M Azimi-Nezhad,Maliheh Aliabadi,A A Ilaty,A Sahebkar,M Ghayour-Mobarhan,G Ferns,M Kimiagar,Parnian Ahmadi-Moghaddam

doi:10.1100/tsw.2009.139

Abstract

There are few data regarding the prevalence of obesity and its socioeconomic determinants among elderly individuals, particularly in Iran. We wished to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in free-living elderly people and the relationship to nutritional and socioeconomic factors in the Razavi-Khorasan province of Iran. Free-living elderly persons (917 males/1045 females), aged ?60 years, were recruited using cluster sampling. Overweight and obesity were evaluated using body mass index (BMI) and subjects were categorized as thin (BMI <18.5 kg/m2), normal (18.5–24.9 kg/m2), overweight (25–29.9 kg/m2), and obese (?30 kg/m2). The association between the prevalence of overweight or obesity with socioeconomic and demographic factors, including gender, place of residence, literacy, type of living, source of income, use of supplements during the past 3 months, and employment status, was examined using regression analysis. The distribution of BMI values indicated that 13, 46.5, 28.9, and 11.7% of the total population were thin, normal, overweight, and obese, respectively. The prevalence of central obesity was higher among Iranian women than men (63.1 vs. 18.6%, respectively). Regression analysis results indicated that gender (p < 0.001), place of residence (p < 0.001), literacy (p = 0.01), and source of income (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with the incidence of overweight or obesity. This study showed that 40.6% of elderly subjects were overweight or obese. Results reinforce the need to plan strategies for primary prevention of this fast-growing public health problem.

Highlights

Obesity is becoming a major public health problem, being a predisposing factor for diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, and sleep apnea[1]
Obesity is associated with increased mortality in elderly individuals that may be associated with the presence of cardiovascular risk factors, such as a higher level of blood lipids[14]
This finding was not confirmed by some other surveys performed in the populations of the U.S and U.K. for whom lower socioeconomic status was associated with an increased prevalence of obesity[16,17,18,19]

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Obesity is becoming a major public health problem, being a predisposing factor for diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, and sleep apnea[1]. In a study conducted in Spain, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was reported to be 49 and 31.5%, respectively, in men, and 39.8 and 40.8%, respectively, in women[8]. Socioeconomic studies in a Korean population have shown that individuals with high or moderate income were more prone to overnutrition and obesity[15]. This finding was not confirmed by some other surveys performed in the populations of the U.S and U.K. for whom lower socioeconomic status was associated with an increased prevalence of obesity[16,17,18,19]. This study may help health care professionals to understand which socioeconomic factors are associated with overweight and obesity

METHODS

RESULTS

DISCUSSION