Norms of anthropometric, body composition measures and prevalence of overweight and obesity in urban populations of Iran

Codifying national norms for anthropometric and body composition measures and determining the prevalence of overweight and obesity، which are associated with chronic diseases، are necessary for every society. The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence and distribution of these norms in city population in Iran. This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted with convenience sampling among 991 men and 1188 women aged between 15 to 64 years old. The population was from Ahvaz، Tehran، Raht، Kerman and Mashhad. Body mass index (BMI)، waist circumference (WC)، waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)، waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and percentage of body fat were measured. Data were measured using independent t-test، coefficient correlation and one way variance in SPSS software. Based on BMI، more than 49% of men and 53% of women were either overweight or obese، while 10. 2% of men and 18. 6% of women were obese. The prevalence of overweight was more in women (P< 0. 001). In both men and women، the prevalence of overweight was greater among 40-49 year olds and the prevalence of obesity was greater among those 50+ years. The study provided national norms and highlighted the high prevalence of general and abdominal overweight and obesity in both sexes of urban populations of Iran and provided evidence to support the establishment of intervention programs to manage and prevent obesity-related disorders such as diabetes.