Prevalence of overweight and obesity among Iranian population: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background Obesity is a major risk factor for chronic diseases. Politicians and practitioners should be aware of the dramatic increase in obesity and its subsequent complications to prevent associated health risks. This systematic review aimed to provide better insight into the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the Iranian population. Method An evaluation was conducted on all published observational studies from both national (SID, Irandoc, Iranmedex) and international (Web of Knowledge, PubMed, Scopus) sources, which reported the prevalence of overweight/obesity among normal population samples, between January 2012 and December 2021. Result A total of 152 eligible studies were included in this meta-analysis. Of the 152 selected studies, 74 reported the prevalence of overweight/obesity in patients aged ≤ 18 years, and 61 studies in adults. In the rest of the articles (17 studies), the results were reported for a combination of these age groups. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in Iran was estimated at 20.1 (95% CI 17.92–22.30) and 13.44 (95% CI 11.76–15.22), respectively. This percentage (95% CI) was 11.71 (10.98–12.46) for overweight and 8.08 (7.02–9.22) for obesity in those aged ≤ 18 years, and 35.26 (32.61–37.99) for overweight and 21.38 (19.61–23.20) for obesity in those aged > 18 years. The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity in the entire population was 35.09% (95% CI 31.31–38.98). Conclusion As obesity is on the rise in Iran, we should seek both weight loss strategies and ways to control comorbidities associated with high BMI.

The contribution of metabolic risk factors to cardiovascular mortality in Golestan cohort study: Population attributable fraction estimation

“…The different distribution of CVD risk factors in our study may be due to differences in life style and culture between communities. These may involve increase in prevalence of obesity in recent years in Iran [ 38 ] and decrease in the CVD mortality attributable to high blood pressure as a result of implementing national surveillance system for blood pressure control. These highlight the necessity of exploring the contribution of specific risk factors to CVD across communities and time periods.…”

Association between Lifelines Diet Score (LLDS) and some novel anthropometric indices, including Body Roundness Index (BRI), A Body Shape Index (ABSI), Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI), and Body Adiposity Index (BAI), in Iranian women: a cross-sectional study

“…As we know, despite the high prevalence of obesity in women [ 27 ], no previous study has evaluated the association between LLDS and anthropometric indices in Iranian women. For the first time, this investigation assessed the association between LLDS and some novel anthropometric indices, including BRI, ABSI, VAI, and BAI, in Iranian women.…”

Protective effect of provitamin A dietary carotenoid intake on overweight/obesity and their relation to inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers – a case-control study

“…The present study investigated whether carotenoid intake was associated with the odds of overweight/obesity in an Iranian population, as an example of a population experiencing a rapid change in lifestyle concomitantly with an increased prevalence of obesity. 48,49 We investigated the association of overweight/obesity with individual carotenoids. Additionally, we aimed to assess the role of carotenoids in these associations beyond acting as markers for the consumption of fruits and vegetables by adjusting for their intake.…”