Rajalakshmi M.1 , Amol R. Dongre2
BACKGROUND Obesity is characterized by abnormal or excessive fat accumulation and is one of the major health concerns affecting young children, adolescents, and adults, the world over. The main predisposing factors for many non-communicable diseases are overweight and obesity which has high mortality than underweight. Hence, we aimed to study the determinants of obesity. METHODS A cross-sectional study was undertaken among the representative sample of 590 adults in 50 villages of Villupuram district, Tamilnadu. Data was collected by house-to-house survey. Data collection was done using WHO Step questionnaire step-1 and step-2. Analysis was done using SPSS 24 software package. RESULTS The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity was 18.3 % and 33.6 % respectively. Female gender, less physical activity and less consumption of vegetables and fruits were identified as significant risk factors for obesity. CONCLUSIONS More than half (52 %) of adults have overweight or obesity, and some of the factors identified as determinants are preventable. Hence, primordial preventive measures should be applied for reducing BMI in early phase of life especially school going children.
