Introduction

Obesity is an increasing public health problem worldwide.World Health Organization(WHO)

defined overweight and obesity as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that present risk to
health.A crude population measures of obesity is the BMI(Body Mass Index),a person weight in
kg divided by square of his/her height in metres( The formula of BMI = kg/m2 ).A person with a
BMI of 30 or more is generally considered obese.A person with a BMI equal to or more than 25
is considered overweight.[ CITATION 1 \l 1033 ]
Obesity is a state that is associated with having overindulgence of body fat,defined by genetic
and environmental factor.There is a difference in between overweight and obesity. .All obese
people are overweight,but all overweight person are not inevitably obese in excess.Overweight
denotes the occurrence of the excess of body weight.Obesity denotes the presence of high
amount of body fat.[ CITATION 2 \l 1033 ]
Globally,In 2016 more than 1.9 billion adults,18 years and older,were overweight of these over
650 million were obese.39% of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight in 2016,and 13 %
were obese. [ CITATION 1 \l 1033 ]
Obesity in Pakistan is also rising at an alarming rate.Most of the global deaths are caused by
obesity so rising obesity in Pakistan is a matter of great concern these days.As per a
research,WHO states that approximately 26% of women in Pakistan suffer from the problem of
obesity while only 19 % of the men are obese. Statistics have revealed that in 2013, the rates
were 28 per cent for men and 38 per cent for women, which is a very large gap between the two
genders.  Obesity is higher in urban areas (56% in men and 67% in women as compared to rural
areas. Even childhood obesity is also growing at a fast pace. As per 2013 statistics it was 10 %
which is a huge figure. According to express Tribune, Pakistan has been ranked 9th out of 188
countries with regard to obesity. This clearly shows how big of a problem it is now. Because of
this problem, approximately 3.4 million people died in 2010. This is the reason why we need to
focus more towards being fit more than ever.[ CITATION 3 \l 1033 ]
According to 2016 WHO statistics is 20.8% of the population is overweight and 4.8% is obese.
[ CITATION 4 \l 1033 ]

A study was done in Malakand Division,Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan,the results showed the
highest percentage (40 %) of obese individuals followed by overweight (38%) and normal
(22%),respectively,in the age ranged from 15 to 61 years.Findings showed that obesity is
significantly higher in female particularly in married women as compare to the male individuals may
be due to the unawareness,lifestyle and food.[ CITATION 5 \l 1033 ]

There are many risk factors for overweight and obesity.Some risk factors can be changed,such as
unhealthy life style habits and environments.Other risk factors,such as age,family
history,genetics,race, ethnicity and sex can not be changed.Healthy life style changes can
decrease risk for developing overweight and obesity. [ CITATION 6 \l 1033 ]
Prevalence of obesity during pregnancy varies from 1.8% to 25.3%.It is a major risk factor for
maternal and fetal complications.[ CITATION 7 \l 1033 ]

In the Framingham study,the relative risk of the hypertension and overweight in men and
women were 1.46% and 1.75% respectively.There is considerable evidence of an association
between obesity and some cancer(gall bladder,esophagus,thyroid,kidney,uterus and
breast).Intervention to reduce the burden of obesity partly depend on recognizing and
understanding the complication of obesity.[ CITATION 7 \l 1033 ]
A cross-sectional study was done on Scania in which 17.5% proportion of the women aged 18-
34years were underweight (BMI<20) 18.4% were overweight and 7% obese.[ CITATION 8 \l 1033 ]
Patients with obesity are at major risk for developing a range of comorbid conditions,including
Cardiovascular disease,Gastointestinal tract disorder,Type 2 diabetes,Joint and muscular
disorders,respiratory problem and psychological issues.which may significantly affect their lives
as well as increasing mortality risks.[ CITATION 9 \l 1033 ]
Obesity and its associated disorders are a growing epidemic across the world.Many
genetic,physiological and behavioral factors play a role in etiology of obesity.Diet and exercise
are known to play a valuable role in the treatment and prevention of obesity and associated
disorders such as hypertension heart disease and diabetes.[ CITATION 10 \l 1033 ]
Treatment for overweight and obesity depends on the cause and severity of condition.Possible
treatments include healthy lifestyle changes,behavioral weight loss,treatment
programs,medicines and possible surgery.[ CITATION 6 \l 1033 ]
Another problem in Pakistan is that the people are taking this issue very lightly. Approximately
52 % of overweight and 73 % of obese people have not even identified their problem and they
think that it’s normal. People think it as a symbol of health and they are not aware of the
possible hazards to their health which can be caused by their excessive weight therefore they
rarely try to lose weight. For Pakistan to progress, it’s important that awareness is created among
the population regarding the harmful effects of weight gain, not only for themselves but also for
the whole economy. Moreover a greater level of obesity has been observed in the elderly people
as compared to the young people. Most people say that its age related phenomenon but health
problems also increase with age and obesity makes the situation worst.[ CITATION 3 \l 1033 ]
We done our research to find out the various causes of obesity in district Nowshera using the
recommended WHO definition of obesity and rising the public awareness about the healthy
diet,physical activities and its impact on public health.A sample of 60 individuals were taken
assessed for their life style diet ,exercise,and their family history of obesity.
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