Association between body mass index and socioeconomic status in female students in Kish, Iran

Malnutrition among adolescents is not only an important health problem but also an economic development problem in Iran and other developing countries. The home environment is found to be related to the development of malnutrition in children. Information on this relationship is important to identify the target risk groups for nutritional intervention. The objective of this study was to determine the association between socioeconomic with BMI status in Middle school adolescent girls in Kish Island. In a cross- sectional study, without sampling, 488 girl students aged 11-15 years were selected from all Kish Island Middle schools. Weight and height were measured and BMI was calculated. Weight status was determined based on the CDC 2000 reference for BMI-for-age. Data on socioeconomic factors like age, parental education, and parental job was collected through a questionnaire. Father’s literacy and mother’s literacy had significant association with BMI status (P=0.001, P=0.06 respectively). Analyses by chi-square and Pearson correlation tests showed mother’s literacy and father’s literacy were strong predictors for overweight and obesity. Increasing parental nutritional knowledge is necessary to initiate changes in nutritional conduct. In addition, a longitudinal study of adolescent nutrition and its associated factors is suggested.