Risk Factors Determining the Occurrence of Obesity among Women in the Zamość County

Abstract

The progress of civilization in Europe and many countries throughout the world has contributed to changing the way of life for entire societies. It has caused a dramatic increase in the rate of obesity. Overweight and obesity make a timeless problem. The twenty-first-century man, apart from deriving a hedonistic pleasure from eating, avoids any physical effort, which causes decreasing physical fitness and increasing of body mass. The goal of the present paper is the analysis of risk factors determining occurrence of obesity among women. An author’s survey was conducted on a sample of 604 women in Zamość county, Poland. The results were statistically analyzed, on the level of significance of p < 0,05. 22,52% of the studied group distinguished themselves with a BMI index from 25 to 30 (overweight ), whereas 7,95% had a BMI > 30, indicating obesity. The analysis of results showed that the most exposed to being overweight and obesity are women over 65 years old, with primary education or vocational training and a sedentary nature of work. Their place of dwelling had no effect on their body weight. Promoting an active way of life would be appropriate, oriented for maintaining a proper body mass. Society should be made aware of the importance of this problem and consequences of lack of knowledge on it.