Overweight and Obesity among Healthcare Professionals in Tunisia: Prevalence and Associated Factors

Introduction: Obesity has become a major public health problem because of its potential impact on health and its alarming increase worldwide.

The objectives were to estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among healthcare professionals (HCPs) and to examine their associated factors.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study during the period August2022-November 2022 among HCPs in the two-university hospital Habib Bourguiba and Hedi Chaker of Sfax governorate, Southern Tunisia. To screen for EDs, we opted for the validated French version of the Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26).

Results: The median age was 30 years (Interquartile range (IQR)=[26-40]). In this study, 253 HCPs were aged 35 years or more (68.4%). Females represented 74.6% of participants (n=276). The mean Body Mass Index (BMI) was 24.79±3.74 kg/m2. The prevalence of overweight was 40.8%.

Among the participants, 24.6% were at high risk of developing eating disorders.

In multivariate analysis, factors independently associated with the prevalence of overweight in HCP were a number of working years ≥ 10 years (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) =5.7; p<0.001), large weight variation ≥25Kg during adulthood (AOR=3.5 ; p=0.038), distortion in body image perception (AOR=2.2; p=0.01), dissatisfaction with the current weight (AOR=5.3; p<0.001) and high risk of developing eating disorders (ED) according to the EAT-26 score (AOR= 1.8; p=0.04).

Conclusion: The high prevalence of overweight among healthcare professionals highlights the urgent need for preventive measures in the workplace, particularly in healthcare settings, to address the long-term health risks associated with obesity. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating weight management and mental health support into workplace wellness programs. Future research should focus on exploring effective interventions to reduce obesity and promote healthier lifestyles among healthcare workers.