Mogre Victor, Mwinlenna Prosper P, Oladele Jeremiah
Arch Public Health. 2013 Nov 6;71(1):30. doi: 10.1186/2049-3258-71-30.
Obesity has been described as an epidemic and a major public health concern globally. Distorted self-perceived weight status can negatively impact an individual's decision to lose weight as well as adoption of healthful weight management attitudes. This study described self-perceived weight status among adults working in civil service departments in Tamale, Ghana, and compared it to their classification based on WHR. It also examined associations of distorted self-perceived weight status with weight loss attitudes, socio-demographic variables and knowledge levels on the health effects of overweight and obesity.
This cross-sectional study was undertaken from January 2011 to July 2011 among a sample of 186 civil servants living in Tamale. Out of the sample, 121 were men and 65 were women. Participants' self-perceived weight status, socio-demographic and weight loss attitudes were assessed by means of a 10-item questionnaire. Participants' waist and hip circumferences were measured with appropriate tools and computed into waist hip ratio (WHR) and classified based on WHO classifications.
More than 80% of the participants were aged below 40 years. Generally, 56.5% (n = 105) participants had normal weight and 31.2% (n = 58) were centrally obese. The proportion of participants being centrally obese was higher in women compared to men (p < 0.0001). Forty four percent of the studied population had a distorted self-perceived weight status. Less than10% of participants self-perceived themselves as overweight/obese, in which over 47% were, in fact, overweight/obese as measured by WHR. Factors associated with distorted self-perceived weight status were being overweight/obese (Crude OR = 97.3; (35.8-264.6; p < 0.0001), aged < 40 years (Crude OR = 2.8; 95% CI = 1.3-6.5; p = 0.0102) and having inadequate knowledge on the health effects of overweight/obesity (Crude OR = 3.7; CI = 1.3-11.0; p = 0.0114). Weight loss attitudes and methods used to lose weight were not significantly associated to self-perceived weight status and WHR measured weight status.
Self-perceived and WHR measured weight status of participants did not conform. Distorted self-perceived weight status was not associated to weight loss attitudes but to being overweight/obese, being younger (<40 years) and having inadequate knowledge on the health effects of overweight/obesity. Educating people on accurate weight perception and the health effects of overweight/obesity should be considered in designing public health strategies to curb the rising prevalence of overweight/obesity and other non-communicable diseases in Ghana.
肥胖已被视为一种流行病，是全球主要的公共卫生问题。扭曲的自我认知体重状况会对个人的减肥决定以及采取健康的体重管理态度产生负面影响。本研究描述了加纳塔马利公务员部门工作人员的自我认知体重状况，并将其与基于腰臀比（WHR）的分类进行比较。研究还探讨了扭曲的自我认知体重状况与减肥态度、社会人口统计学变量以及超重和肥胖对健康影响的知识水平之间的关联。
本横断面研究于2011年1月至2011年7月在塔马利的186名公务员样本中进行。样本中，男性121人，女性65人。通过一份10项问卷评估参与者的自我认知体重状况、社会人口统计学和减肥态度。使用适当工具测量参与者的腰围和臀围，并计算腰臀比（WHR），根据世界卫生组织的分类进行分类。
超过80%的参与者年龄在40岁以下。总体而言，56.5%（n = 105）的参与者体重正常，31.2%（n = 58）为中心性肥胖。女性中心性肥胖的比例高于男性（p < 0.0001）。44%的研究人群自我认知体重状况扭曲。不到10%的参与者自我认为自己超重/肥胖，而实际上，根据WHR测量，超过47%的人超重/肥胖。与自我认知体重状况扭曲相关的因素包括超重/肥胖（粗OR = 97.3；（35.8 - 264.6；p < 0.0001）、年龄<40岁（粗OR = 2.8；95%CI = 1.3 - 6.5；p = 0.0102）以及对超重/肥胖对健康影响的知识不足（粗OR = 3.7；CI = 1.3 - 11.0；p = 0.0114）。减肥态度和用于减肥的方法与自我认知体重状况和WHR测量的体重状况无显著关联。
参与者的自我认知体重状况与WHR测量的体重状况不一致。扭曲的自我认知体重状况与减肥态度无关，而是与超重/肥胖、年龄较小（<40岁）以及对超重/肥胖对健康影响的知识不足有关。在设计公共卫生策略以遏制加纳超重/肥胖及其他非传染性疾病患病率上升时，应考虑对人们进行准确体重认知和超重/肥胖对健康影响的教育。
