Comparison of the body compositions in obese and nonobese individuals: Can learning body compositions motivate losing weight?

Abstract

Background: Obesity is one of the leading preventable causes of death worldwide.

Objective: To compare body compositions in obese and nonobese individuals.

Methods: This cross‑sectional study constituted of 428 individuals. Body compositions were determined using the Tanita.

Results: Of all the participants, 300 (70.1%) were female. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 30.8% and 47.7%, respectively. Having low educational level, female gender, not working, being married, and nonsmoker significantly increased more in obese than nonobese (P < 0.001). Total body water, visceral fat accumulation, body mass index, resting metabolic rate, fat‑free mass, bone mass, and muscle mass were significantly higher in obese when compared to those with nonobese (P < 0.001). Thirteen percent of the participants were thinking of changing their diet and lifestyle to lose weight at the beginning. After learning their body compositions, the rate increased to 60% who decided to modify their lifestyle and asked for help to lose weight. This behavior change was significant in especially the overweighted participants (P = 0.025).

Conclusion: The changes in body composition are associated with obesity and increased risk for certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus. Learning the health risks can motivate losing weight. Multicentered studies can be illuminating different cultural factors about obesity.

Keywords: Body composition, body fat distribution, body mass index, obesity, weight loss