Association of Physical Activity and Obesity in Health Care Professionals of Karachi

Abstract

Obesity is a major health problem worldwide. The worldwide prevalence rate of obesity is about 13% of adults are obese, and 39% of adults are overweight. Globally, found that 1 out of every 5 children is overweight and faces many complications. Objective: To determine the relation of physical activity and obesity in health care professionals of Karachi. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was done on 543 healthcare professionals of various domains selected from the hospitals of Karachi according to the division of seven districts ( Central, East, Kemari, Orangi, Malir, South, West). The evaluation of the study was done through three weight measurement tools( BMI (body mass index), Waist circumference, waist-hip ratio) and two questionnaires: a self-administered and an international physical activity questionnaire. The data were analyzed by SPSS version 23.0. Results: There were 543  healthcare professionals extracted from seven districts of Karachi, Out of which 310 performed more than 3 hours, 181 performed less than 3 hours per day, and 52 were not sure about their level of moderate activities in daily routine While 146  healthcare professionals performed more than 3 hours per day, 283 performed less than 3 hours per day, and 114 were not sure about their level of vigorous activities in their daily routine. Conclusions: Our study concluded that the frequency of obesity is less in healthcare professionals as compared to the general p