Obesity-Related Knowledge And Its Relationship To Body Mass Index And Demographic Attributes In Obese Jordanian Adults

Abstract

Background: Obesity is a growing global public health challenge,  and obesity-related knowledge (OK) is crucial in lessening its burden and developing management strategies.

Objectives: To investigate OK levels in obese adults and their association with demographics and body mass index (BMI) categories.Methods: A cross-sectional study included 1000 obese Jordanian adult males (54.8%)  and females (45.2%) aged 19 to 69. We used a pre-validated questionnaire containing 14 questions to test OK. Following a standard protocol, we conducted face-to-face interviews with each participant to obtain anthropometric measures, demographic attributes, and OK data.Results: Participants had a mean age (40.2±3.1 years) and BMI (33.0±3.2 kg/m²) with no sex differences. The majority were married (78.1%), had a university education (59.4%), and were employed (67.3%), while 40.6% were smokers and 56.7% were sedentary. There were significant sex-based disparities in marital status (p<0.022), education, employment, smoking, and sedentary lifestyle (p<0.001). Participants scored high OK levels (3.99±0.94), with significant sex differences (males vs. females) regarding cardiovascular disease (4.84±0.52 vs. 4.74±0.65, p<0.009), diabetes (4.72±0.55 vs. 4.52±0.77, p<0.001), aerobic exercise (4.93±0.34 vs. 4.87±0.42, p<0.01), and osteoarthritis (3.62±1.25 vs. 3.82±1.17, p<0.01). Moderate to low OK levels showed significant sex differences regarding anti-obesity medications (2.50±1.19 vs. 2.88±1.11, p<0.001), meal replacements (2.05±1.02 vs. 2.42±1.09, p<0.001), fasting misconceptions (1.45±0.85 vs. 1.69±1.03, p<0.001), and chronic stress (2.75±1.05 vs. 3.09±1.11, p<0.001). Education (p<0.031) and sex (p<0.004) were significant predictors of OK, with no significant (p<0.963) differences in OK scores across obesity categories.