Investigation of Relative Factors in Women Waist Circumference in Isfahan (2003)

Introduction: Evaluating body fat distribution is done through various methods. However, Waist Circumference(WC) measurement is a simple, cheap and valuable way. Today a close consideration is given to WC assessment in order to evaluate physical health in epidemiological studies. WC depends on various environmental factors. Identifying these factors can be used in health programs to promote women health. The present research was aimed at determining relative factors in WC in women.

Materials and Methods: This research is a cross–sectional one. The samples included 740 women in Isfahan who were selected through cluster sampling and were invited to 10 health centers. In order to determine the number of samples, specificity and confidence were considered to be 1.5 and 95%, respectively. Also, based on the range of WC changes(50-150 cm) was considered to be 17. By using the formula  there were 493 samples. To make sure for dissimilarity of clusters, these samples increased to 740 - 1.5 times as much. In this research data were collected through questionnaire and standard meter. Each questionnaire contained 12 closed questions devided in two parts–personal and reproductive characteristics. Test-re-test was employed to determine the questionnaire reliability and content validity was used to determine its validity. Less than 10% difference in the results of test-re-test proved the reliability (r=0.92). Descriptive and analytical statistics (Pearson correlation coefficient, Independent student t-test and one way ANOVA) were used for data analysis.

Results: The results showed that there was a significant statistical relationship between age, occupation, education, first delivery age, the number of pregnancy and parity and consuming oral contraceptive pills (LD) with WC (p< 0.05). This study demonstrated that various factors are related to WC. Therefore by controlling these factors, we can prevent the abnormal body fat distribution as well as the related dangers in women. The followings can be helpful: Measuring all clients WC in suitable intervals, acquainting them with the factors related to WC by health personnel, creating facilities to continue their studies and offering job opportunities for women in various levels and presenting necessary training around the number of pregnancy and parity as well as avoiding unnecessary delivery in younger ages through mass media.