18Oct 2017

PATTERN OF OBESITY AND SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS FOR NUTRITION CLINIC CLIENTS IN BASRA, IRAQ.

  • Manager, Public Health Department, Basra Health Directorate, Basra, Iraq.
  • Physician, Al-Sader Teaching Hospital, Basra Health Directorate, Basra, Iraq.
  • Student, The Gifted School of Basra, Basra, Iraq.
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Background: Obesity and overweight is a major public health concern. This study determines the prevalence of overweight and obesity classes among adult nutrition clinic client in Basra, Iraq, and the how sociodemographic characteristics relate to their BMI. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted. The sample size was 1464 clients, of which 1007 were included. Weight and height was reported, and BMI was calculated; sociodemographic characteristics were taken. Data was standardly categorized. Results: Of the study population, 27% were overweight and 73% were obese; from the obese, 28% were class I, 21% were class II, and 24% were class III. Females had a higher BMI than males (34.32 Kg/m2 ? 6.50 SD and 36.32 Kg/m2 ? 8.31 SD, respectively). Unlike men, women also face a shift from overweight to higher BMI classes with age. Extreme obesity was most prevalent among the unemployed (36.21%), but least prevalent among the employed (14.34%). Overweight was the most prevalent for students (50%). Discussion: The observed shift in BMI for females can be attributed to pregnancies and the sedentary lifestyle of middle eastern women. Higher BMI classifications are linked to lower educational levels and unemployment, two indicators of low socioeconomic class; the study thus supports the argument that obesity and overweight are a concern to all socioeconomic backgrounds. The results will help shape preventive and curative administrative measures.

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[Ziyad T Shwaish, Wefak H Al-Kawaz and Tarik Shwaish. (2017); PATTERN OF OBESITY AND SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS FOR NUTRITION CLINIC CLIENTS IN BASRA, IRAQ. Int. J. of Adv. Res. 5 (Oct). 920-926] (ISSN 2320-5407). www.journalijar.com

Tarik Shwaish
Student, The Gifted School of Basra, Basra, Iraq

DOI:

Article DOI: 10.21474/IJAR01/5605      
DOI URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.21474/IJAR01/5605

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