OBESITY AND MODERN CHRONIC DISEASE RESEARCH

Merije ELEZI, Mereme AZIZI – IDRIZI, Gafur XHABIRI, Vlatko TANEVSKI, Besnik ELEZI, Ismail FERATI, Namik DURMISHI, Laureta ABAZI

Abstract

Obesity is a significant global concern, and this research aims to assess the body mass index (BMI)in a representative sample while conducting a detailed statiscal analysis of respondents’ lifestyles. The primary objectives are to gain insights into the prevalence of obesity and its repercussions on human health and lifestyles among the population in the Republic of North Macedonia. The study was conducted in the period from 01.01.2022. until 31.12.2022 using a representative sample of 2007 respondents: including 1133 women and 874 men aged between 15 to 75 years. As a statistical method of work, relative numbers and student t-test were used to test the significance of the difference between two proportions, in order to show the frequency of overweight and obesity, as well as data related to the lifestyle and health status of the respondents. The data are presented tabularly and graphically. According to the results of the study, 38% of the respondents are classified as overweight because their BMI is over 25, and 31% of the respondents are obese with a BMI over 30. Such devastating results are due primarily to the poor eating habits of the subjects and their physical activity. 65.8% of respondents (1321 respondents) suffer from diseases of abundance: high blood pressure, diabetes, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases and cancer. 69.9% of respondents who suffer from diseases of abundance have an increase in body weight (BMI > 25), and 30.1% of respondents who suffer from diseases of abundance are overweight or underweight (BMI < 25). Since the obtained value for t = 15.308 is greater than the table value t = 2.576 for n = 1319 and p < 0.01, it is concluded that the difference between the proportions in the two groups is significant (significant), and arises due to differences in BMI.

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