Relationship between Body Mass Index and Demographic Features in Women

Introduction: Obesity is a complex status with important psychological and social dimensions. This is seen in all ages and in all economic and social groups. Obesity is a modifiable risk factor for many chronic diseases. Using body mass index (BMI) is a simple and common approach to evaluating overweight and obesity. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between some demographic factors and BMI in women referring to health centers in Ahwaz. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study. Using cluster random sampling, 899 women referring to health centers in Ahwaz in 1387 were studied. The relationship between BMI and level of education, marital status, occupation and age was studied through multiple linear regression method. Results: Age and marital status had a relationship with BMI that was statistically significant (P=0.0001). Level of education also showed a statistically significant but inverse relationship with mean of BMI (P=0.005). The relationship between BMI and occupation was not significant in the regression model (P=0.14). Conclusion: Older age, being married, and low level of education are among the factors influencing BMI.