2006, Volume 12 No. 2

ARTICLE 3

Obesity and Overweight in Young Adult Females of Northern Badia of Jordan

Mousa Numan Ahmad, Salma Khalil Tukan and Hamed Rabah Takruri
Department of Nutrition and Food Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan

ABSTRACT
The objective of the study was to describe anthropometric indices of obesity in young adult females from Northern Badia of Jordan and explore their association with some socio-economic and lifestyle factors. A representative random sample based on a proportional sampling method of 233 females aged 20-25 years from the Jordan Northern Badia was used. Studied variables were: weight, height, skinfold thickness at selected sites, body mass index (BMI), % body fat (BF%), and associated factors including education, marital status, smoking, employment, housing and having a chronic disease. The main anthropometric characteristics of the Badia young females were: body weight (55.7 ± 0.7 kg), height (153.4 ± 0.4 cm) and BF% (26.5 ± 0.3). The prevalence of the BMI categories in the sample were: 8.2% underweight (BMI< 18.5kg/m²), 27.0% overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9 kg/m²) and 6.9% obese (BMI = 30.0 kg/m²). Median height matched the 5th NCHS percentiles. Medians of weight and triceps skinfold thickness were located between the 25th and 50th, and the 10th and 25th NCHS percentiles respectively. Factors that were found to be significantly (p<0.05) associated with BMI among the Badia young females included educational status, being married, not working, non smokers, settlers and having no chronic disease. In conclusion, underweight, overweight and obesity do exist in the young adult females of Northern Badia of Jordan, with a tendency towards obesity. The presence of overweight and obesity in Badia may be a reflection of the ongoing development in the area.

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