Obesity among iranian adolescent girls: Location of residence and parental obesity

This cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and predictors of overweight and obesity by location of residence among randomly-selected 2,577 urban school girls aged 12-17 years in rasht,iran. data on age,frequency of skipping breakfast per week,physical activity,hours of television viewing,self-perception about body condition,and home address were collected. birthweight of the girls,educational levels of parents,weights and heights of parents,and employment status of mothers were asked to the parents using a self-administrated questionnaire. the overall prevalence of overweight and obesity in this population was 18.6% and 5.9% respectively. overweight or obesity was more common among girls from low-income areas compared to high-income areas (21.6% vs 17.1%,p<0.001). maternal education was positively related to overweight/obesity of the girls. results of logistic regression analysis showed that risk of overweight/obesity was higher in girls whose either parent was overweight or obese. furthermore,living in low-income areas and skipping breakfast were independently related to overweight/ obesity. these data suggest that overweight and obesity are a public-health concern among school girls,especially in low-income areas in rasht. knowing risk factors in population subgroups is important for planners in the country because it helps target interventions. © international centre for diarrhoeal disease research,bangladesh.