Abstract

Introduction: Overweight and obesity is a rapidly growing health problem in every society. Although different reports on increasing obesity in Iran have been published, no accurate estimate has been reported on the prevalence of obesity among young men. The aim of this study, conducted in a sample population of young Tehranian men, was to determine the frequency of overweight and obesity in this group. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out between the 1st and 20th of Shahrivar 1386. Subjects were 680 young men, randomly selected from among those referring to the health centers for the Pre-Military Service Vaccination Program. Of these, 37 who were sportsmen, were, excluded from the study population. Anthropometric measurements for height, weight, waist and hip circumference of the remaining 643 male subjects, aged 18-25 years old, were obtained their body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratios were also estimated. Following data collection, the frequencies of obesity and overweight for each age group were determined. Results: Mean age was 20.7±1.9, and mean body mass index was 24.1±6.5. The frequency of abnormal body mass index (equal to or more than 25Kg/m2) among the sample population was 32.7% (CI 95%: 29-36.3) of which 23.2% ( CI 95%: 19.9-26.5) were overweight and 9.5% ( CI 95%: 7.2-11.8) were obese the frequency of central obesity, was 7.2%, based on criteria ≥0.9for waist- to- hip ratio, and 7.5%, based on criteria ≥94 cm for waist circumference. Results showed that 70.8% of obese subjects and 29.2% of overweight ones had abdominal obesity (P<0.001). The highest frequency (18.4%) for obese persons was seen around the age of 25 years and that for overweight (41.5%) was seen around the age of 24y. Conclusion: This study reveals that a remarkable percentage of young men in the city of Tehran are either obese or overweight.