Prevalence of Obesity and Overweight among Employees of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS)

Introduction: Overweight and obesity increase the risk of developing factors related to metabolic syndrome including diabetes, hypertension, high TG and low HDL. The prevalence of obesity and overweight among the employees of the health system ranges from 8.5% to 60% worldwide. This is the first study aimed to investigate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among employees of SUMS to develop recommendations for managing obesity.Materials & Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. SUMS employees, both medical staff and office workers were recruited using random sampling method. A total of 2300 people (46% male, 54% female), with the age range of 30-60 years participated in the study. Data were collected based on BMI values measured by Inbody 770, body composition analyzer device. A BMI of 25-29.9 and BMI≥30, were regarded as overweight and obesity, respectively. Results: Our results showed a prevalence rate of 48% overweight and 17% obesity among both male and female participants. The proportion of both overweight and obesity was almost the same in male and female employees by BMI values. However, 58% of men and 89% of women suffered abdominal obesity by waist circumference. Conclusion: The prevalence rate of overweight and obesity in our study was 65% which is remarkably higher than those of other studies may be due to the difference in eating habits, working conditions and personal life style. Given the difference in assessment procedures, health policy-makers should primarily focus on training and physical activity, and changing eating habits among health employees in their future programs.