120 International Journal of Collaborative Research on Internal Medicine & Public Health

Overweight and Obesity and Associated Risk Factors

among the Iranian Middle-Aged Women

Raheb Ghorbani 1, Mohammad Nassaji 2*, Jafar Jandaghi 3, Bemane Rostami 4,

Narges Ghorbani 5

1
Associate professor of Biostatistics, Research Center for Social Determinants of Health, Department
of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
2
Associate professor of Infectious diseases, Research Center for Social Determinants of Health,
Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
3
Research Center for Social Determinants of Health, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of
Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
4
General physician, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
5
Medical student, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran

* Corresponding Author: Mohammad Nassaji (MD)

Kovsar Hospital, Basij Blvd, Semnan, Iran
Tel: +98 2333437844 Fax: +98 2333437837 | Mobile: +98 9121318640
Emails: hnassaji@yahoo.com, mnzmohammad@gmail.com

Abstract
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.

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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.

Key words: Overweight, Obesity, Middle-aged women, Socio-demographic

characteristics

Introduction
Obesity is considered to be a worldwide epidemic that its incidence is increasing. It has
become a global public health and more than one billion adults estimated to be
overweight and over 400 million of them are obese.1 According to the WHO estimate,
there will be about 2.3 billion overweight people aged 15 years and above, and over 700
million obese people worldwide in 2015.2
Obesity has significant contributing factor in the development of various chronic diseases
such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, stroke, osteoarthritis, and
certain cancers.3 According to the previous data, there are wide variations in the
prevalence of obesity throughout the world, ranging from India, where 1% or less of the
population is obese, to the Pacific Islands, where the prevalence of obesity can reach up
to 80% in some regions.4
Although obesity was initially most visible in developed countries, recent global figures
indicate that it is increasing in the developing world. As developing countries have
become wealthier, marked change in lifestyles cause obesity development.5 So that WHO
emphasizes the importance of monitoring the prevalence and secular trends for
overweight and obesity in each country.6
The prevalence of obesity among men and women varies greatly within and between
countries. Women, in particular, have a higher prevalence of obesity that increases with
age.7 These gender disparities are exacerbated among women in developing countries,
particularly in the Middle East and North Africa.8 Some studies suggest that not only the
global differences in the prevalence of obesity vary by sex, but also that the social
determinants of obesity vary by gender.9,10
Iran is a middle-income developing country undergoing economic, environmental, and
cultural changes. Lifestyle and diet have significantly changed in recent years. These
changes negatively affected both energy intake and expenditure.11
In middle-aged women, the biological factor and hormonal changes affects fat
distribution that may increase risk or exacerbate negative effects of obesity on health.
These biological and related socio-cultural differences warrant specific study on women.
Understanding how regional body mass indexes are changing in women, and the relative

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speed at which this is occurring, is important for health planning policy and
intervention.12
Few studies have explored this topic in middle-aged women. Identifying the important
determinants of overweight/obesity may help to define target groups for prevention. So
that this study designed to evaluate obesity in a group of middle-aged Iranian women and
comparing the result with two previous study that conducted in this region. We also
examined the associations of overweight and obesity with demographic and
socioeconomic characteristics. This article is the first nationwide obesity prevalence
study among women aged 40-60 in Iran.

Methods
This cross-sectional study was conducted during 2012 in Semnan city that is situated in
center of Iran. This city consists of seven districts. Each district is covered by a Primary
Health Care center (PHC). The target population in this study was women of middle age
(40-60years) in all seven regions.
A multistage stratified cluster random sampling technique was used to select study
population. In the first stage, clusters (households) were chosen randomly using
systematic sampling technique based on family health number in PHC centers. In the
second stage, we randomly selected subjects in each cluster. Once a household was
selected, all residents were identified by age and sex, and one women aged between 40-
60 years was randomly selected. If there was not a woman with above age, the next
household selected, until calculated sample attained. The study was approved by the
Research and Ethics Committee of the Semnan University of Medical Sciences and
informed consent was obtained from all subjects.
Data was collected face-to-face by trained interviewers using a structured questionnaire
comprising data on social, demographic and personal history. Weight was determined
using a digital electronic weighing scale with accuracy to 0.1 kg and wearing lightweight
clothing. Height was measured to the nearest centimeter by using a tape measure and
women standing upright without shoes. Body mass index (BMI), defined as the weight in
kilograms divided by the height in meters squared (kg/m2). Overweight defined as having
a BMI between 25.0 and 29.9 kg/m2; and obesity as having a BMI equal or greater than
30.0 kg/m2.6
The small number of underweight participants in this study made accurate inference
about this group impossible. Therefore, this category was removed from analysis. Data
about socio-demographic details including age, marital status, household income,
employment, education, residential area, number of children, life satisfaction and
menopausal status were registered. The menopausal status was defined based on WHO
criteria.13 Household income and life satisfaction was based on self-reported information.

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Statistical analysis
Data were analyzed by Chi Square test (for univariate analysis) and logistic regression
analysis using SPSS Version 16.00(SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL). P-value less than 0.05 were
considered statistically significant. We used logistic regression analysis to estimate
adjusted odds ratio (OR) of obesity for different levels of risk factors.

Results
The study enrolled 749 middle age women. Mean age (±SD) of participant was 50.7 ±4.5.
Most participants were married (94%), minority of women (8%) have had high level of
education (>12 years) and 661(83.3%) were non-employed. The main characteristics of
subjects are presented in Table 1.
Mean BMI (±SD) of women was 28.6±4.3 using the WHO criteria. 19.2 % of women
were normal weight, 45.4% overweight and 35.4% obese. The combined prevalence of
both overweight and obesity was 80.8%. Table 2 displays relationships between socio-
demographic variables and the likelihood to be classified as overweight or obese.
Overweight and obesity were not significantly associated with age, marital status,
education level, number of children, place of residency, employment, life satisfaction,
household income and menopausal status.
The associations between the risk of obesity and the socio-demographic factors in
multivariate models showed that education level and menopausal status was associated
with increased chance of obesity. The risk of obesity was more common by
approximately 1.52 fold in women with<12 year of education (OR=1.52, 95% CI: 1.09-
2.10, p=0.01). In addition, the risk of obesity was 1.58 time more common in pre-
menopause women when compared with menopausal women (OR=1.58, 95% CI: 1.06-
2.36, p=0.026) (Table 3).

Discussion
Obesity is caused by a complex interaction between the environment, genetic
predisposition, and human behavior. Environmental factors are likely to be major
contributors to the obesity epidemic.4 Recent estimates show the prevalence of
overweight and obesity to be increasing at alarming rates, in both developed and
developing countries.14
This study found that the prevalence of overweight and obesity among middle-aged
women was high. In a systematic-review and meta-analysis, obesity was reported in
13.7% of Iranian adult males and 27.3% of females.15 This shows that prevalence of
obesity in this group is significantly higher than general adult female.

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The prevalence of overweight/ obesity in this study (80.8%) was higher than the value
reported in women of China, Swiss, Portuguese, Italia, Malaysia, Ghana, Tunisia.16-22 A
similar prevalence of obesity among women in Turkey (35%) was reported.23 Most of
these studies were conducted on all adult women not in middle-aged group. In a study in
Shiraz, southern Iran that conducted on 25-55 adult the prevalence of overweight/obesity
was 63.9% in women. The prevalence of obesity was 22.5% in women.24
Compared with our study, Dijkshoon reported higher prevalence of obesity among
Turkish and Moroccan immigrant women (89%) in The Netherlands.25 Mbochi and co-
worker from Kenya reported a higher BMI in women aged 40-60 compared with our
finding.26
Our finding for overweight and obesity was compared with two previous studies
conducted in Semnan during 1996-97 and 2006.27.28 In the 1996-97 study 75.3% of
middle-aged women have had overweight/obesity. The study revealed overweight in 37%
and obesity in 38.5% of women. In 2006 study prevalence of overweight/obesity was
78.2%. Prevalence of overweight and obesity was 43.5% and 34.7% respectively. Figure
1 shows an increase in overweight during a sixteen -year period between the three
studies. On the other hand, findings show a slight decrease in trend of obesity during this
period.
In Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study conducted on adult above twenty years old between
1998 and 2002 the prevalence of overweight slightly decreased from 40 to 39.5% in
women. Whereas, obesity have risen from 43/8% to 49.9% in women.29 Such increase in
the prevalence of overweight/obesity may be due to change in lifestyle and nutrition shift
in Iran. The increasing economic status in recent years has resulted in a higher
consumption of sugar, salt, red meat and saturated fatty acids among Iranian people and
therefore increased the possibility of becoming obese.30
Most other studies from developing and developed countries have documented similar
increase. Balarajan et al examined trends in the prevalence of overweight/obesity and
underweight among women of reproductive age in 3 South Asian countries. The
prevalence of overweight/obesity increased substantially in all countries.31 In study on
adult Swiss population between 1992-3 and 2007, the prevalence of overweight/ obesity
increased from 22.3% to 31.3% in women, while the prevalence of obesity increased
from 4.9% to 8.5% in women.17 Similar increase was reported from some other studies.32-
34

In contrast Al-Lawati and Jousilahti in their study reported decrease in overweight and
obesity between 1991 and 2000 among Omani adult women.35 A similar decrease was
reported among adult women from Spain. This decline was greatest in women aged 60–
69 years.36
Education is well known to be beneficial to health and may protect against obesity
through cognitive advantages that result in healthier lifestyles and better behaviors related
to determinants of obesity. In agreement with this, in our study it was observed that
obesity tends to be more prevalent among people who are less educated. This finding on

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negative relationship between education and obesity is consistent with the results from
other previous studies. For example in observations made among Brazilian women, the
prevalence of obesity markedly decreased with the increase level of education.10 Some
other studies confirmed this association.37-42
Contrary to these studies, other studies found an inverse association, subjects with a low
level of education presented with lower values of overweight and obesity than those with
a higher level of education.31,32,43,44 Two study in Ghana and Kenya on adult women
showed that education appears to have no association with a woman’s weight status.21,26
Multivariate analysis showed that the risk of obesity was more common in pre-
menopause women. The years surrounding the menopause are associated with weight
gain, increased central adiposity, and decreased physical activity. This weight change
may be due to hormonal changes occurring during the menopausal transition.45 Sternfeld
B et al study did not show relationship between menopausal status and weight gain in
midlife women.46
The different living environments (urban versus rural) displayed markedly different
prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in previous studies. In most studies
overweight/obesity was positively related to urban residency.16,31,32,35
In contrast L. Beltaïfa1et al in their study from adult Tunisian women reported that
people living in rural areas were more obese than those living in the urban area.22 Our
study did not show significant association between place of residency and
Overweight/obesity. Similarly in a study conducted in Italian adult people no particular
pattern in prevalence for different levels of BMI was found based on area of residency.19
Other socio-demographic variable including marital status, number of children,
employment and household income was not significantly associated with overweight and
obesity in our study. Our results confirm the findings from some previous survey.
Martinez et al reported no significant differences in terms of overweight and obesity in
relation to marital status.47 In another study, marital status, parity, income level and
cultural orientation were not associated with overweight/obesity.25 In contrast, most other
studies showed that the prevalence of obesity was significantly associated with
occupation,18 marital status,20,39 number of children21,26 and household income.22,38
This study has a number of limitations that warrant mention. First this study was cross-
sectional that limits the causal interpretation of the associations described. Second,
women included in this study cannot be thought of as a random sample of all Iranian
women and results cannot be totally extrapolated to the general female. Third, family
income and life satisfaction was self reported.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the findings of this study indicate 45.4% of middle- aged women are
overweight and 35.4% are obese that is higher than value reported from most other

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countries. This finding highlights the problem of overweight and obesity in this group of
women. Also, comparison with two previous studies in this region showed that the
prevalence of overweight is increasing in women during two recent decades despite mild
reduction in obesity. Socio-demographic variables except education level and
menopausal status were not significantly associated with obesity and overweight. It is
crucial to design preventing health policies targeting specifically middle-aged women in
order to educate them on lifestyle modifications.

Acknowledgements
The research was supported by Research Committee of Semnan University of Medical
science. Special thanks are due to managers and personnel of Semnan Primary Health
Care center.

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Table 1: Socio-demographic variables of the study population

Characteristic N %
Age(year)
40-45 86 11.5
46-50 331 44.2
51-55 211 28.2
56-60 121 16.2
Marital Status
Married 704 94.0
Single 45 6.0
Educational Level
Illiterate 62 8.3
Primary 254 33.9
Intermediate 178 23.8
Secondary 195 26.0
Higher 60 8.0
Residential Area
Urban 93.6
Rural 701 6.4
48
Number of Children
0 99 13.2
1 198 26.4
2 247 33.0
3 139 18.6
4≥ 66 8.8
Employment
Yes 88 11.7
No 661 88.3
Menopausal status
Pre-menopause 148 19.8
Peri-menopause 268 35.8
Post- menopause 333 44.5
Family income
High 163 21.8
Medium 528 70.5
low 58 7.7
Life satisfaction
Very satisfied 276 36.8
Satisfied 396 52.9
Not satisfied 77 10.3

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Table 2: Prevalence (%) of Obesity, Overweight according to study group Socio-

demographic variables

BMI(Kg/m2)
Characteristic Normal Overweight Obes
(<25) (25-29.9) (≥30) p-value
Age(year)
40-45 16.3 44.2 39.5
46-50 18.4 45.0 36.6 0.910
51-55 20.4 46.0 33.6
56-60 21.5 46.3 32.2
Marital Status
Married 18.8 46.2 35.1 0.202
Single 26.7 33.3 40.0
Educational Level
Illiterate 21.0 38.7 40.3
Primary 18.9 44.5 36.6 0.464
Intermediate 17.4 42.7 39.9
Secondary 19.0 51.3 29.7
Diploma+ 25.0 45.0 30.0
Residential Area
Urban 19.3 45.2 35.5 0.933
Rural 18.8 47.9 33.3
Number of Children
0 25.3 39.4 35.4
1 14.1 52.5 33.3 0.101
2 22.3 45.3 32.4
3 15.8 41.7 42.4
≥4 21.2 40.9 37.9
Employment
Yes 23.9 43.2 35.7 0.499
No 18.6 45.7 33.0

Menopausal status
Pre-menopause 17.6 40.5 41.9
Peri-menopause 20.5 44.0 35.4 0.318
Post- menopause 18.9 48.6 32.4
Family income
High 20.2 49.7 30.1
Medium 18.6 43.6 37.9 0.280
Low 22.4 50.0 27.6
Life satisfaction
High 18.1 47.8 34.1
Moderate 19.2 44.9 35.9 0.695
Low 23.4 39.0 37.7

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Table 3: Obesity risk-assessment model among middle-aged women

Variables β SE( β ) P-Value Odds Ratio 95% CI*

Coefficient (OR) for OR
Educational level
<12 years 042 0.17 0.013 1.52
≥12 years - - - 1.00 1.09-2.10
Menopause Status 0.084 -
Pre-menopause 0.46 0.21 0.026 1.58 1.06-2.36
Peri-menopause 0.18 0.17 0.304 1.20 0.85-1.69
Post- menopause - - - 1.00 -
Constant -1.04 0.17 <0.001 -

*CI: Confidence Interval

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