Prevalence and factors associated with obesity in the peri-urban area of Delhi: A cross-sectional study

Background : Obesity is one of the major risk factors for hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, and diabetes. It is caused
due to high consumption of fat food, sugar and a decrease in daily physical activity.Materials and Methods:
Acommunity-basedcross-sectional study was conducted in the peri-urban area of Qutub Vihar, Goyla Dairy, South-
West district, New Delhi between the period of June 2022 and August 2022. The objective was to assess the
prevalence, factors associated, and perception and practice related to obesity between the age of 18 to 59 years. A
convenient sampling method was used to select the participants. Body Mass Index was calculated for which height,
weight, and waist circumference of the participants were collected. Results: The study found that out of 122
participants, 22.1percentwere found to be overweight and 26.2 percent obese, while 43.4 percent had normal
weight and 8.2 percent were underweight. Waist circumference was found to be more than normal in 69.7 percent
of participants. 55.9percent of participants among the overweight or obese compared to 43.4percent of normalweight
individuals lacked knowledge. Among the overweight individuals, 64.4percent of them considered themselves
overweight, 27.1percent of them were motivated to lose weight, 77.4percent considered their weight to be normal,
26.4percent considered their weight to be harmful and 9.4percentwere motivated to lose their weight. The percentage
of individuals who consume beverages and fried items was more among the overweight or obese individuals
compared to normal-weight participants, and the p-value was greater than 0.05. The association between working
out and obesity showed a p-valueof 0.049. Conclusion: Obesity is one of the main risk factors leading to several
hormonal and systemic disorders, hence it is essential to prevent obesity. This would include lifestyle modification
and increasing the awareness and motivation towards staying healthy in the individuals. The Information, Education
& Communication (IEC) activities can be helpful in peri-urban areas for achieving the same. Health workers
should be trained and actively involved in the early diagnosis, detection, and prevention of obesity and other health
issues related to obesity mainly in the peri-urban area.