Factors associated with overweight and obesity among Kuwaiti kindergarten female teachers

Levels of overweight and obesity among Kuwaiti women are high, and the objective of this study was to explore factors that may be responsible. A sample of 461 Kuwaiti kindergarten female teachers was studied; weight and height were measured, and the classification of overweight or obese taken as having a Body Mass Index of 25-30 or >30, respectively. This revealed that 41.2 and 19.7% of the teachers were overweight or obese, respectively. Factors found to be significantly associated with overweight and obesity among the teachers included age, marital status, parents living at home, subjects' parental obesity, number of obese relatives, exercise, last dental check-up and dental status.