Overweight among rural girls in Iran: a terrifying prospects of cardiometabolic disorders.

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Iranian adolescent girls 14-17 year old in rural areas in Guilan province in 2006. A multistage sampling method was used and 1036 randomly selected school girls were studied in rural areas in Guilan-Iran. Data on age and mother's years of schooling were collected using questionnaire and body weight and height were measured. These results showed that the overall prevalence of overweight and obesity in this population was 18.6% and 5.2%, respectively. Results of logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of overweight was higher in the lower age group (OR=2.5, 95% CI 0.16-3.3). In this study, overweight was more common in girls with more educated mothers than the girls with less educated mothers (30.0% vs. 20.3% P=0.0001). In conclusion, these data indicated that overweight is highly prevalent among the rural adolescent girls and the rate is exceeding those reported in urban residents.