The prevalence of determinants of obesity, metabolic syndrome and overweight in middle-aged urban women living in a megacity

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 contraceptive. 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, including having a healthier nutritional diet, consuming the less fast food and red meat and more fruits and vegetables are recommended.