Pak J Med Sci 2007 Vol. 23 No. 2 www.pjms.com.pk 193 Original Article PREVALENCE OF OBESITY AND ABDOMINAL OBESITY IN A SAMPLE OF URBAN ADULT POPULATION WITHIN SOUTH EAST OF IRAN Mohsen Rezaeian 1 , Zinat Salem 2 ABSTRACT Objective: Obesity is now considered as a maj or health challenges in the both developed and developing count ries. The prevalence of t his phenomenon has been report ed up t o 36.7%in some of the urban regions of Iran. Since, there has been no previous study regarding prevalence of obesity in the adult population within Sout h East of Iran, t his st udy was carried out in t he year 2002 t o est imat e t he prevalence of obesit y and abdominal obesit y in adult s 30 years and older in Rafsanj an. Met hodology: This survey was a cross sect ional st udy in which a random sample of adult s (n=756, age>30) were selected. For each individual a questionnaire was completed, in which height, weight, waist circumference and demographic characteristics were recorded. The overweight and obesit y were defined by BMI=25-29.9 and BMI >30, respect ively. The abdominal obesit y was defined for women and men by waist circumference >88cm and >102cm,respectively. Result s: The prevalence of obesity (type 1 and 2) and overweight were 11.6% and 38.2%, respectively. In addition 164 (37.5%) of women and 118 (36.9%) of men were overweight. Seventy eight (18.2%) of women and 15 (4.7%) of men were obese, 248 (56.9%) of women and 52 (16.6%) of men suffered from abdominal obesity. Conclusion: The result s of t his st udy showed t hat t he obesit y and abdominal obesit y are among the most important health problems within South East of Iran. Therefore, it can be suggested that an interventional approach is needed in order to change people’s lifestyle, which by itself may also have an important effect in reducing morbidity and mortality from other chronic diseases. KEY WORDS: Obesity, Abdominal Obesity, Prevalence, Adults, Iran. Pak J Med Sci April 2007 Vol. 23 No. 2 193-197 1. Dr. Mohsen Rezaeian 2. Zinat Salem 1-2: Social Medicine Department, Medical Faculty, Rafsanj an Medical School, Iran. Correspondences: Dr. Mohsen Rezaeian, Social Medicine Department, Rafsanj an Medical School, Raf sanj an - IRAN. E-mail: moeygmr2@yahoo.co.uk * Received for Publication: May 15, 2006 * Revision Received: September 22, 2006 * Revision Accepted: October 3, 2006 INTRODUCTION Obesity which is usually defined as an over- load of body fat 1 is considered as a major risk factor for the non-communicable diseases including coronary heart disease (CHD), hy- pertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus and different types of cancer. 1,2 The etiology of obesity is multi-factorial which involves ge- netic, endocrinological and psychological fac- tors. Age, gender, occupation, lifestyles such as lack of exercise and high energy intake could also play an important role in the etiology of obesity. 1 It has been estimated that throughout the world there are more than one billion over- weight adults, out of which 300 million are obese. 3 The prevalence of obesity has rapidly increased in the both developed and develop- ing countries. 3 For instance, in the past decades the prevalence of obesity has increased in the United States of America 4 and in Australia. 5