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Anthropometric Assessment of General and Central Obesity in Urban Moroccan Women

Author

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  • Natascia Rinaldo

    (Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Prevention, University of Ferrara, Corso Ercole I d’Este 32, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
    Center for Exercise Science and Sports, University of Ferrara, 44123 Ferrara, Italy)

  • Stefania Toselli

    (Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Science, University of Bologna, Via Selmi 3, 40126 Bologna, Italy)

  • Emanuela Gualdi-Russo

    (Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Prevention, University of Ferrara, Corso Ercole I d’Este 32, 44121 Ferrara, Italy)

  • Meriem Khyatti

    (Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Casablanca 20250, Morocco)

  • Amina Gihbid

    (Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Casablanca 20250, Morocco)

  • Luciana Zaccagni

    (Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Prevention, University of Ferrara, Corso Ercole I d’Este 32, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
    Center for Exercise Science and Sports, University of Ferrara, 44123 Ferrara, Italy)

Abstract

In the last few decades, North African countries have faced the nutrition transition, leading to an increase in obesity, exacerbated by an extremely low rate of physical activity (PA). Particular attention must be paid to abdominal obesity (one of the metabolic syndrome criteria), which has been linked to several health problems. The present study aims to investigate the prevalence of overweight/obesity, particularly abdominal obesity, in a sample of urban Moroccan women and to analyze the anthropometric indicators of metabolic syndrome risk among subsamples with different PA and socio-demographic characteristics. Urban Moroccan women living in Casablanca ( n = 304; mean age 37.4 ± 15.6 years) were recruited for this cross-sectional study. Data concerning socio-demographic variables, PA behavior, and anthropometric measures (height, weight, waist, and hip circumferences) were directly collected. Body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio, and relative fat mass were computed. Comparisons between women with different socio-demographic characteristics were performed through ANCOVA adjusted for age. The results reveal that 39.4% of the women did not practice any PA. The percentage of women above the cutoffs of risk for general and central obesity was more than half for all the indexes, except for waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and 19.6% were at a very high risk of health issues. Moreover, being female unmarried, childless, graduates, and students were found to be protective against obesity. In conclusion, Moroccan women have a high level of obesity, especially abdominal, and preventive interventions are needed to reduce the health impact of obesity in this population.

Suggested Citation

  • Natascia Rinaldo & Stefania Toselli & Emanuela Gualdi-Russo & Meriem Khyatti & Amina Gihbid & Luciana Zaccagni, 2022. "Anthropometric Assessment of General and Central Obesity in Urban Moroccan Women," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-12, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:11:p:6819-:d:830623
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tara Templin & Tiago Cravo Oliveira Hashiguchi & Blake Thomson & Joseph Dieleman & Eran Bendavid, 2019. "The overweight and obesity transition from the wealthy to the poor in low- and middle-income countries: A survey of household data from 103 countries," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(11), pages 1-15, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Yuwei Liu & Shan Qin & Jiamin Li & Ting Jin, 2023. "Artificial Intelligence and Street Space Optimization in Green Cities: New Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-15, November.
    2. Emanuela Gualdi-Russo & Natascia Rinaldo & Luciana Zaccagni, 2022. "Physical Activity and Body Image Perception in Adolescents: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-28, October.

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