Prevalence and Factors Associated with Overweight and Obesity among Healthcare Workers in Pejabat Kesihatan Daerah Melaka Tengah

Introduction               Overweight and obesity are a serious public health problem globally. Healthcare workers in some countries have been reported to be having a high prevalence of overweight despite them being well informed of aetiology and risks of excessive body weight. However, the problem of overweight and obesity among Malaysian healthcare workers still poorly understood. Objective                    The aim of this study was to assess prevalence and factors associated with overweight and obesity among healthcare workers in Pejabat Kesihatan Daerah Melaka Tengah. Methodology              This was a cross sectional study conducted between June and August 2018 involving 702 respondents sampled from all health facilities under PKD Melaka Tengah. Demographic, socio-economic and lifestyle data was collected using questionnaires and anthropometric measurements were taken using electronic weighing scale and height measuring bar. Result                         Mean age was 35.81 years and overall prevalence of overweight/obesity was 55.6%. Prevalence of overweight, class I obesity, class II obesity and class III obesity was 34.3%, 14.2 %, 4.8% and 2.1% respectively. The identified risk of overweight were aged forty and above (OR: 2.00, 95%CI: 1.389-2.846), non-Chinese (OR: 4.97, 95%CI: 2.129-11.620), married (OR: 1.77, 95%CI: 1.150-2.733), big family size (OR: 1.43, 95%CI: 1.074-1.991), underlying NCD (OR: 1.73, 95%CI: 1.240-2.423), family history of NCD (OR: 1.94, 95%CI: 1.328-2.817), and sedentary lifestyle (OR: 1.52, 95%CI: 1.067-2.172). Conclusion                 We found a higher prevalence of overweight/obesity among healthcare workers in PKD Melaka Tengah compare to general population. Older age group and non-Chinese ethnicity emerged as the most conspicuous factors of overweight/obesity. Keyword Overweight, Obesity, Healthcare workers