Analysis on the distribution characteristics of body overweight and obesity among adult residents in Shandong Province

Objective To understand the status of overweight and obesity among adult residents in Shandong Province.Methods Seven counties/districts of Shandong Province were sampled according to 2002 China National Nutritional Survey with stratified multi-stage cluster random sampling method.The status of body overweight and obesity among adult residents were analyzed from their physical examination database using SPSS software.Results The overall prevalence of overweight among Shandong adults was 35.9% and the obesity rate was 17.5%,higher than the average level of China.The rates of overweight and obesity among male were all higher in urban than in rural areas,but the rate of overweight among female was higher in rural areas,and the obesity difference between rural and urban areas was not significant.The overweight and obesity of Shandong residents started young and were associated with aging,higher education level and less exercise.Conclusions The prevention of overweight and obesity should begin from young age.It is high time to popularize nutritional knowledge about body weight control and conduct intervention.