The Trends of Prevalence of Obesity in Turkey From ۲۰۰۸-۲۰۱۶

Objective: Obesity is one of the major public health problems in Turkey and worldwide. This study was conducted to determine the trends of the obesity prevalence in Turkey from ۲۰۰۸ to ۲۰۱۶ by analysing sociodemographic data. Materials and Methods: This study was cross-sectional. Analysis was performed based on ۲۰۰۸, ۲۰۱۰, ۲۰۱۲, ۲۰۱۴ and ۲۰۱۶ data from Health Survey by Turkish Statistical Institute. Of the ۱۲۸۴۸۴ individuals who participated in Turkish Health Research, the body mass index (BMI) of ۸۷۲۰۵ individuals with aged ۱۵ and older has been calculated. Categorical variables were represented as frequency (%) and continuous variables were represented as mean (±standard deviation) within parentheses. The data were analyzed with SPSS ۲۰ software. Results: Our findings showed that ۱۶.۲% of the individuals ۱۵ years and over was obese (۱۸.۷% among women and ۱۳.۵% among men P-value< ۰.۰۰۱) in ۲۰۰۸, and the prevalence increased to ۲۲ % in ۲۰۱۶ (۲۶% among women and ۱۷% among men P-value< ۰.۰۰۱). The ratios of obesity were higher among the individuals having a low education (P-value< ۰.۰۰۱) and income level (P-value< ۰.۰۰۱; between ۲۰۱۰-۲۰۱۶) compared to other groups. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated alarming rates of obesity, particularly among women, among the population ۵۵ to ۶۴ years of age regardless of gender, which was closely associated with low education and income levels. It is crucial to gain healthy lifestyle behaviors within the society and implement strategies and policies for diverse risk groups.