Does employment status influence obesity prevalence among females? A comparative study from Ankara, Turkey

Abstract

Aim: In this study, we aimed to compare the nutritional habits and obesity status of employed and not-employed (i.e. homemakers) women from an urban population in Ankara between April 2 and 17, 2007. Materials and methods: Employed females (107) were amongst Keçiören (a district of Ankara) municipal employees, and homemakers were selected among the residents of the catchment area of a primary health care unit (PHCU) within the same district. The 2 groups (employed and homemakers) were high school and university graduates and were similar to each other in terms of education and age. The World Health Organization defines "overweight" as a BMI equal to or more than 25kg/m2, and "obesity" as a BMI equal to or more than 30 kg/m2. Results: When backward logistic regression model was performed for some selected factors (age, marital status, fast food consumption, smoking status, employment status, and regular breakfast consumption) related to overweight and obesity, there was a positive relationship between age [(P = 0.002; OR(95%CI) 1.112 (1.039-1,190)] and employment status [(P = 0.037; OR(95%CI) 1.873 (1.039-3.379)]. Conclusion: Employment status and age were found to be risk factors for overweight and obesity. Healthy life skills programs are recommended to be promoted giving priority to the influencing factors, such as age and employment status in order to prevent overweight and obesity among women. © TÜBİTAK.