Objectives: The main aim of this study is to determine the central
obesity trends during the period from 2006 to 2010 among 15-65
years old people in Northern Iran.
Methods: This was a population-based cross-sectional study
conducted on 6466 subjects who had been chosen by a multi
stage cluster random sampling within five steps. The subjects were
randomly chosen from 325 clusters and each cluster included 20
cases. Central obesity was defined as waist circumference =102 cm
and =88 cm in men and women, respectively.
Results: Compared to 2010, the mean waist circumference in
2006 changed from 87.2 cm to 88.1 cm in men (p=0.237), and
from 90.3 cm to 88.6 cm in women (p=0.045). The comparison
between 2006 and 2010 revealed that the prevalence of central
obesity slightly decreased, 6.8% and 2.4% in urban women and
men, respectively. Generally, the mean of waist circumference
significantly decreased in urban women (by 0.069 cm in each year;
p=0.020); however, the decrease of waist circumference in urban
men was not significant (0.006 cm decrease each year; p=0.915).
Conclusion: The prevalence of central obesity declined among
both males and females in the urban area; however, there was
an attenuated increasing trend in the rural area. The disparity of
trends between the two regions should be considered for further
study.