Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021;14(3):298-305.
doi: 10.1159/000516115. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

Disparities in Obesity Prevalence in Iranian Adults: Cross-Sectional Study Using Data from the 2016 STEPS Survey

Rozhin Amin  1 , Ali-Asghar Kolahi  2 , Mohammad-Reza Sohrabi  1   2
Affiliations

Disparities in Obesity Prevalence in Iranian Adults: Cross-Sectional Study Using Data from the 2016 STEPS Survey

Rozhin Amin et al. Obes Facts. 2021.

Abstract

Introduction: This paper outlines the prevalence, disparities, and social determinants of preobesity and obesity in Iranian adults.

Methods: Data on 28,321 adults who participated in the 2016 National Survey of the Risk Factors of Noncommunicable Diseases (STEPS) survey were analyzed. The body mass index (BMI) was calculated from physically measured height and weight. To assess the association between sociodemographic factors and the prevalence of preobesity and obesity, a χ2 test and a logistic regression model were used. Socioeconomic inequality was quantified by a concentration index. Disparities in provincial mean BMI and concentration indices were shown on the map of Iran using geographic information system analysis.

Results: Overall, 60.3% of the participants were affected by preobesity or obesity. The preobesity prevalence was 39% in men and 35.2% in women. The obesity prevalence was 15.6% in men and 30.4% in women. The mean BMI for the country was 26.5. Higher ranges were observed across the northwestern and central territories. Female individuals in the age group 48-57 years who were married and lived in urban settings had an increased risk of being preobese or obese. The concentration index revealed a prorich inequality, with a greater magnitude among women.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that policies aimed at reducing preobesity and obesity should remain a public health priority in Iran. However, a greater emphasis should be placed on the northwestern and central territories and on higher socioeconomic groups.

Keywords: Body mass index; Equity in health; Iran; Obesity; Preobesity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflict of interests to declare.

References

    1. Afshin A, Forouzanfar MH, Reitsma MB, Sur P, Estep K, Lee A, et al. GBD 2015 Obesity Collaborators Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity in 195 Countries over 25 Years. N Engl J Med. 2017 Jul;377((1)):13–27. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Okunade AA, Rubin RM, Okunade AK. Delayed Effects of Obese and Overweight Population Conditions on All-Cause Adult Mortality Rate in the USA. Front Public Health. 2016 Sep;4:212. - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization Obesity and overweight. 2020. [Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight.
    1. Esteghamati A, Khalilzadeh O, Mohammad K, Meysamie A, Rashidi A, Kamgar M, et al. Secular trends of obesity in Iran between 1999 and 2007: National Surveys of Risk Factors of Non-communicable Diseases. Metab Syndr Relat Disord. 2010 Jun;8((3)):209–13. - PubMed
    1. Kolahi AA, Moghisi A, Soleiman Ekhtiari Y. Socio-demographic determinants of obesity indexes in Iran: findings from a nationwide STEPS survey. Health Promot Perspect. 2018 Jul;8((3)):187–94. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types