Epidemiology and sociodemographic determinants of Obesity in Moroccan Adult Population

Obesity and overweight result from excess fat, leading to health complications and a reduced life expectancy. This issue impact Morocco like all countries worldwide, due to several determinants such as dietary changes, lifestyle choices, sedentary behavior and socioeconomic parameters.

To evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Moroccan population, and their related socio-demographic factors.

Our study is a cross-sectional study carried out among adult subjects aged 18 years and above, who were selected using cluster sampling. Data collection was conducted using a questionnaire that included sociodemographic parameters such as age, sex, and marital status, educational level…as well as anthropometric measurements. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS.

The total number of participants was 731 (51.8% women and 48.2% males). The age group 20-29 years constitutes 25.6% of the studied population followed by 30-39 years with 19.4%. According to the BMI the overall prevalence of obesity was 20.7%, with a female predominance (80.10 %). The results indicated that BMI increases with age up to 59 years (p<0.0001). We revealed a strong association between numerous factors and obesity such as age, sex, age, marital status, occupational activity, education level and housing.

Through our study, we found that the obesity was associated with a several sociodemographic factors such as: gender, age, marital status, occupational activity, education level and housing type and size with a female predominance. We suggest structural and supportive policies such as improving access to healthcare services that promotes healthy living and reduces obesity rates.