Evaluation of the Prevalence of Abdominal Obesity and its Related Factors in Patients with Stroke

Stroke is one of the most common neurological diseases worldwide  causing different types of disabilities and high rate of mortality each year. Abdominal obesity is one of the most important risk factors for stroke. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of abdominal obesity and its related factors in patients with stroke.

This descriptive-analytical study investigated 36 patients with stroke in the internal medicine ward of Kowsar Hospital, Semnan, Iran. The sampling was performed using the convenience and purposive method. Data were collected using a demographic characteristic form, patient records, and a questionnaire on the status of the patient with stroke. Moreover, the abdominal obesity was measured by calculating the ratio of the abdomen diameter to the pelvic diameter. The data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 16) using descriptive and inferential statistics, as well as ANOVA. A p-value less than 0.05 was statistically significant.

The mean±SD age of the patients was 75.43±10.8 years. In total, 50% (n=60) of the cases were male. Moreover, 83.3% and 93.3% of the males and females had abdominal obesity, respectively. According to the results, 50% and 24.2% of the total population were overweight and obese, respectively. Furthermore, there was a negative and significant relationship between abdominal obesity and level of education (P<0.001). However, abdominal obesity showed a positive association with oil consumption (P=0.026) and stroke severity (P=0.028).

Regarding the high prevalence of abdominal obesity in stroke patients, it is necessary to undertake measures, such as the improvement of nutritional quality of the food and promotion of the health literacy in order to prevent obesity and weight loss, thereby accelerating the rehabilitation and enhancing the prognosis in these patients.