Socioeconomic Status and Obesity Relationship in Non-Menopause Women Aged 15-49 Years in Tehran, Iran

Background: to investigate the association between socio-economic status and obesity in non-menopause women aged 15-49 years in tehran, iran.methods: this study was based on iran national health survey conducted in 1999. obesity is defined as a body mass index over .30. constructed area (per-person), educational level and job are considered as factors indicating the socioeconomic status. the results have been adjusted for age and mental health using univariate and multiple logistic regression.results: a total number of 2859 non-menopause women aged 15-49 yr from urban areas of tehran have been studied. the prevalence of obesity and overweight were 16.4% and 28.4% respectively. women aged 30-49 yr had greater risk of obesity (adjusted or= 2.53, 95%ci: 1.99-3.20). comparing with students, homemakers and employees were at higher risk of obesity (adjusted or= 4.33, 95%ci: 2.47-7.76, adjusted or= 2.82, 95%ci: 1.41-5.63 respectively). those with >= 12 years of education had lower risk of obesity compared to illiterate women (adjusted or=.57, 95%ci: 0.38-0.86).conclusion: the role of social factors is dominant over economic factor on obesity. this fact should be considered as one of the most important research priorities in future researches.