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Nutrition and spatial characteristics among women living in Kurdistan, Iraq
Author(s) -
Pawloski Lisa Renee,
Curtin Kevin,
Ahmad Hamdia,
Rasheed Taban
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.26.1_supplement.827.7
Subject(s) - underweight , overweight , urban sprawl , anthropometry , socioeconomic status , obesity , environmental health , geography , demography , medicine , gerontology , socioeconomics , population , sociology , urban planning , ecology , archaeology , biology
Objective To examine the nutrition and spatial characteristics among women living in the Region of Kurdistan, Iraq. Methods Anthropometric, nutrition, geographic, socioeconomic, and activity data were collected from 1023 healthy women studying and/or working at the University of Salahhadin in Erbil, Iraq. Results Indicators of underweight were found in 3.4% of the sample and 44% were found to be either overweight or obese. Women who reported traveling less than 15 minutes or greater than 45 minutes to get to school or work had greater BMIs than those who reported commutes between 15 and 45 minutes. Further, women who reported longer commutes had greater waist/hip ratios. No statistically significant results were revealed concerning the kind of transportation used. The spatial statistics further support the findings revealing spatial patterns of obesity and home location. Conclusions The findings are significant as they support growing literature that commuting and urban sprawl are related to the rise in obesity. Further, they are important as no such analyses have been conducted in Kurdistan concerning the nutritional status of women, nor have they been conducted using geographic methods. This research was supported by the Center for Global Studies and Provost's Office, George Mason University.