Prevalence of obesity among Iranian female university students (2001-2017): A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Introdution: The prevalence of obesity in the world has been rising and it has involved developing and developed countries. The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of obesity among Iranian female university students and the importance of preventing this problem through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: The study was performed via meta-analysis method, and some relevant articles were obtained in scientific databases, including SID, Sciencedirect, PubMed and Google scholar. Reference lists of identified articles were reviewed for additional articles. Heterogeneity of the studies was checked using  index. Data were analyzed using the comprehensive meta-analysis (CMA) software. Results: By investigating 10 studied articles,the overall prevalence of obesity among female university students in Iran was 3 % (95% Cl 2.5%-3.6%) during 2001-2017. The highest prevalence of obesity was recorded in Tehran in 2005, 9.3% (95% Cl: 5.6%-15.1%) and the lowest prevalence of obesity was found in Ardebil in 2012, 1% (95% Cl: 0.4%-4%). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the prevalence of obesity is not high in female students (3 %), but it is necessary to pay particular attention to information on obesity and girls' sports in universities, so that the prevalence of this disease is not increased.