Affiliation:
1. MD‐MPH Department, School of Medicine Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz Iran
2. Student Research Committee Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz Iran
3. Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz Iran
4. Department of Pediatrics, Child Growth and Development Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non‑communicable Disease Isfahan University of Medical Sciences Isfahan Iran
5. Liver and Pancreatobiliary Diseases Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute Tehran University of Medical Sciences Tehran Iran
6. Non‐communicable Disease Research Center Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz Iran
7. Digestive Diseases Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Shariati Hospital Tehran University of Medical Sciences Tehran Iran
8. Research Center for Traditional Medicine and History of Medicine, School of Medicine Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz Iran
Abstract
AbstractBackground and AimsObesity is considered a major growing threat to public health which could negatively affect the quality of life. The current cross‐sectional study was conducted to investigate the population‐based prevalence of metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and healthy overweight (MHOW) and associated factors in southern Iran.MethodsBaseline data from the Pars Cohort Study was analyzed. Metabolically healthy participants were identified based on the definition of the American Heart Association for the metabolic syndrome. The prevalence of MHOW and MHO and their 95% confidence intervals were estimated. Poisson regression was applied for the calculation of prevalence ratios (PRs).ResultsGender‐ and age‐standardized prevalences of MHOW and MHO were 6.3% (6.0%–6.6%) and 2.3% (2.1%–2.5%), respectively. The following factors were associated with being MHOW compared with those with normal weight: Being younger, female gender (1.31, 1.20–1.43), higher socioeconomic status, being noncurrent cigarette smoker (1.27, 1.11–1.45), low level of physical activity (1.14, 1.03–1.25), having normal overweight during adolescence, and overweight (1.35, 1.24–1.48) or obesity (1.68, 1.53–1.86) during young adulthood. We also found strong associations between MHO and younger age groups, female gender (2.87, 2.40–3.42), being married (1.57, 1.08–2.27), Fars ethnicity (1.25, 1.10–1.43), higher socioeconomic status, ever use of tobacco (1.14, 1.00–1.30), never use of opium (1.85, 1.19–2.86), lower physical activity (1.45, 1.20–1.72), being normal weight in 15‐year body pictogram and being overweight (1.87, 1.59–2.20) or obese (3.20, 2.74–3.72) in 30‐year body pictogram when considering those with normal weight or MHO.ConclusionPotentially modifiable factors including physical activity should be more emphasized. Furthermore, our study issued that it would be more reasonable that the prevention of unhealthy obesity be initiated before the development of MHO, where there are more protective factors and they could be more effective.
Funder
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences