Trends of Obesity in Iranian Adults from 1990s to late 2000s; a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Obesity is currently emerging as a global epidemic, affecting 10% of adultpopulation worldwide. The primary objective of the current systematic reviewis to describe the trend of overall prevalence of obesity in Iranian women andmenthrough a meta-analysis. METHODS We searched the medical literature published from 1990 to 2007 in Medline(PubMed), EMBASE database, and the Iranian digital library. All publishedreports of research projects, papers in relevant congresses, unpublished crudedata analysis, proceedings, books and dissertations were reviewed. Data fromeligible papers that fulfilled the qualification criteria entered meta-analysis(Random Model). RESULTS Data from 209,166 individuals were analyzed. The overall prevalence ofobesity in adults was 18.5% (95%CI: 15.1-21.8), respectively. The prevalenceof obesity in men and women was 12.9% (95%CI: 10.9-14.9) and 26.2%(95%CI: 21.3-30.5), respectively. The trend of obesity was similar in both genders;women had almost a constantly higher risk of obesity than men duringthe recent two decades. CONCLUSION Data from 209,166 individuals were analyzed. The overall prevalence ofobesity in adults was 18.5% (95%CI: 15.1-21.8), respectively. The prevalenceof obesity in men and women was 12.9% (95%CI: 10.9-14.9) and 26.2%(95%CI: 21.3-30.5), respectively. The trend of obesity was similar in both genders;women had almost a constantly higher risk of obesity than men duringthe recent two decades.