Related factors with women's body mass index in Isfahan

Abstract

Introduction: Today, prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing in most parts of the world. Obesity plays an important role in creating health poverty and decreasing life span in women. The most common formula to assess physical health is body mass index (BMI). The present research was conducted to determine related factors (personal and reproductive characteristics) in women's BMI.

Methods: This was a descriptive analytic cross­-sectional study. The samples were 384 people in Isfahan. They were selected by cluster sampling and referred to 10 health centers in the city. In this research, the data collecting instruments included a questionnaire, an adult standard scale and a standard meter tape. Collected data were analyzed by SPSS software through descriptive and analytic statistical methods.

Results: The results showed a significant statistical relation between BMI and the following factors: age, education, family economic situation, menarche age, the number of pregnancies and deliveries, use of low dose oral contraceptives and history of deliveries with less than two years interval (P<0.05).

Conclusion: Acquainting the women with the above-mentioned factors, creating a situation for women to continue their educations in different levels, training the women to limit the pregnancy and delivery numbers and preventing deliveries with less than a two year interval through mass media can be helpful to prevent overweight and obesity in women.