Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of obesity in Moroccan Sahraoui women; to describe their distribution of body fat; and to examine the influence of age, calorie intake, physical activity, marital status, education level, and desire to lose weight on obesity.
Design: Randomized samples of adult women who visited the public health centers during a immunization campaign period.
Participants: Data were obtained on 249 non-pregnant urban women aged 15 and older, who live in the city of Laayoune in South Morocco. Only subjects identified as Sahraoui origin were eligible for this investigation.
Main outcome measure: The following data were collected: body weight, height, circumference of waist and hip, calorie intake, physical activity, marital status, education level, and desire to lose weight.
Results: The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity was 30% and 49%, respectively, and was found to be very high in younger age groups. The prevalence of abdominal obesity was also high and increased with age. Sixty-eight percent of women had a waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) > 0.85 and 76% had a waist circumference (WC) > or = 88. The calorie intake, the time spent in a walking activity, and the time spent in traditional sedentary occupation were associated with obesity. The prevalence of obesity was higher among married women compare to unmarried women and was not influenced by education level. A very small percentage of the female population expressed a desire to lose weight.
Conclusion: High prevalence of obesity, even in young adult women, needs immediate attention in terms of prevention and health education among the urban Sahraoui women.