Prevalence of obesity and overweight among office workers of pars special economic energy zone, Assaluyeh, Iran

Abstract

Objective: The obesity-related costs imposed on the society are astounding. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among office workers of Pars Special Economic Energy Zone in Assaluyeh, Iran. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 294 office workers. We applied a questionnaire to collect demographic factors, Beck's questionnaire was also administered to measure physical activity, and finally, the FFQ questionnaire was applied to determine the calorie intake of participants. Then, some anthropometric indices of BMI, WHR, WC, and BFP were measured and evaluated. Results: The overall prevalence of obesity and overweight among the studied office workers was 79.6% (26.2% obese and 53.4% overweight). Low percentage of employees had normal weight with waist circumference (WC) of 20.7% and waist-tohip ratio (WHR) of 20.4%. After adjusting for other variables, age (OR=31.82, 95% CI 1.046 – 968.26, p<0.047), marriage status (OR=0.020, 95 % CI 0.001–0.752, p<0.035), calorie consumption (OR=1.023, 95% CI 1.012–1.033, p=0.001), and physically activity (OR=0.245, 95% CI 0.074–0.810, p=0.021) were significantly associated with obesity and overweight. Conclusion: Although the study did not include the whole staffs, obesity and overweight were very prevalent among office workers of Pars Special Economic Energy Zone. So, a detailed and comprehensive plan is needed to identify the related causes of such diseases and educate individuals to change their lifestyles. We recommend individuals to have a proper diet and to do regular physical activity as effective solutions to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity.