Prevalence of Obesity and Overweight and Its Correlates among 20-40 Year Old Population in an Urban Area in Southern India

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with at least 2.8 million people dying each year as a result of consequences of overweight or obesity. The study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of Overweight and obesity among 20-40 years old residing in an urban area in North Karnataka and to study the risk factors affecting overweight and obesity. Methods: A Cross Sectional Study was done among adults aged 20-40 years in urban field practice area in North Karnataka in 2017-18. The sample size was calculated to be 207. Selection of study subjects was done using systematic random sampling. Data regarding socio-demographic profile and anthropometric measurements were collected and BMI calculated. Results: The prevalence of overweight was 45.9% and obesity was 11.1%. Females had more prevalence of overweight (46.8%) and obesity (13.8%) as compared to males. overweight was more in sedentary workers (50%).There was a high prevalence of obesity among participants with mixed diet(82.6%) and 63.1% of participants eating junk food were overweight and 69.5% were obese. The prevalence of overweight was more among participants with class IV socioeconomic status (45.3%) followed by class III (31.6%). Conclusion: There is a growing prevalence of overweight and obesity in urban areas that calls for an urgent need to prevent the further consequences and decrease the burden.