Prevalence of Obesity and its Associated Factors Among the 35-70-Year-Old Population of Bandare-Kong: A Cross-sectional Survey (Findings of the Persian Cohort Study)

Background: Obesity is a major health problem in many countries such as Iran. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity and their associated risk factors in Bandare-Kong, Hormozgan, Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional survey included 3921 participants of the Bandare-Kong Cohort Study (BKNCD). Their baseline data were used for analysis. General obesity was defined as the body mass index (BMI)≥30 kg/m2 and overweight as 25≤BMI<30. Central obesity was defined as waist circumference (WC)≥95 cm. Results: The prevalence of overweight, general, and central obesity was 39%, 24%, and 30.5%, respectively. Female gender (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=5.11, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.74-6.96 and aOR=1.70, 95% CI: 1.34-2.16), hypertension (aOR=2.43, 95% CI: 1.81-3.26 and aOR=1.26, 95% CI: 1.04-1.52), and hypertriglyceridemia (aOR=1.76, 95% CI: 1.31-2.38 and aOR=1.26, 95% CI: 1.05-1.51) were significantly associated with both general and central obesity. Higher WC (aOR=503.89, 95% CI: 331.76-765.32), higher calorie intake (aOR=1.03, 95% CI: 1.02-1.04), and urban residency (aOR=2.99, 95% CI: 2.06-4.32) were correlated with general obesity. BMI≥25 kg/m² (aOR=46.81, 95% CI: 35.53-61.67), higher fasting plasma glucose (aOR=1.03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.04), older age (aOR=1.03, 95% CI: 1.02-1.04) and being unemployed (aOR=1.49, 95% CI: 1.18-1.89) were significantly associated with central obesity. Conclusion: Overall, a significant correlation was found among female gender, hypertension, and hypertriglyceridemia with general and central obesity in this study. Given the high prevalence of obesity in this population, regional public health authorities should take appropriate measures to reduce these rates in order to prevent obesity-associated complications.