Background: Obesity is a growing public health concern globally, contributing to multiple chronic diseases. Health literacy, defined as the ability to understand and apply health information, influences dietary and lifestyle behaviors, and may affect obesity outcomes. This study investigates the association between general obesity (BMI), central obesity (waist circumference), and health literacy among adults in southern Bangladesh. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 323 adults (162 males, 161 females) aged 18-65 years. Anthropometric measurements (BMI and WC) and the EU Health Literacy Score (HLS-EU) were collected. Data were analyzed using SPSS v28, including descriptive statistics, t-tests, and Pearson correlations. Results: Mean BMI was 25.1 ± 4.0 kg/m2, mean WC 86.2 ± 9.3 cm, and mean health literacy score 30.2 ± 8.1. Prevalence of overweight and obesity was 38% and 22%, respectively. BMI and WC positively correlated with age (r = 0.32, 0.29; p < 0.01) and negatively with health literacy (BMI: r = -0.21; WC: r = -0.18; p < 0.05). Conclusion: Both general and central obesity are prevalent among adults in southern Bangladesh, and lower health literacy is associated with higher obesity measures. Interventions targeting health literacy may improve obesity prevention and management.
| Published in | International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences (Volume 14, Issue 6) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20251406.12 |
| Page(s) | 378-382 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
General Obesity, Central Obesity, BMI, Waist Circumference, Health Literacy, Bangladesh
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APA Style
Akter, S., Azhar, B. S., Islam, M. S., Alam, S., Hasan, M. H. (2025). Association of General and Central Obesity with Health Literacy Among Adults in Southern Bangladesh. International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences, 14(6), 378-382. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20251406.12
ACS Style
Akter, S.; Azhar, B. S.; Islam, M. S.; Alam, S.; Hasan, M. H. Association of General and Central Obesity with Health Literacy Among Adults in Southern Bangladesh. Int. J. Nutr. Food Sci. 2025, 14(6), 378-382. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20251406.12
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Download@article{10.11648/j.ijnfs.20251406.12,
author = {Shammy Akter and Bably Sabina Azhar and Md. Sohanur Islam and Sadia Alam and Md. Hasibul Hasan},
title = {Association of General and Central Obesity with Health Literacy Among Adults in Southern Bangladesh
},
journal = {International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences},
volume = {14},
number = {6},
pages = {378-382},
doi = {10.11648/j.ijnfs.20251406.12},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20251406.12},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijnfs.20251406.12},
abstract = {Background: Obesity is a growing public health concern globally, contributing to multiple chronic diseases. Health literacy, defined as the ability to understand and apply health information, influences dietary and lifestyle behaviors, and may affect obesity outcomes. This study investigates the association between general obesity (BMI), central obesity (waist circumference), and health literacy among adults in southern Bangladesh. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 323 adults (162 males, 161 females) aged 18-65 years. Anthropometric measurements (BMI and WC) and the EU Health Literacy Score (HLS-EU) were collected. Data were analyzed using SPSS v28, including descriptive statistics, t-tests, and Pearson correlations. Results: Mean BMI was 25.1 ± 4.0 kg/m2, mean WC 86.2 ± 9.3 cm, and mean health literacy score 30.2 ± 8.1. Prevalence of overweight and obesity was 38% and 22%, respectively. BMI and WC positively correlated with age (r = 0.32, 0.29; p < 0.01) and negatively with health literacy (BMI: r = -0.21; WC: r = -0.18; p < 0.05). Conclusion: Both general and central obesity are prevalent among adults in southern Bangladesh, and lower health literacy is associated with higher obesity measures. Interventions targeting health literacy may improve obesity prevention and management.
},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Association of General and Central Obesity with Health Literacy Among Adults in Southern Bangladesh AU - Shammy Akter AU - Bably Sabina Azhar AU - Md. Sohanur Islam AU - Sadia Alam AU - Md. Hasibul Hasan Y1 - 2025/11/12 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20251406.12 DO - 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20251406.12 T2 - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences JF - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences JO - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences SP - 378 EP - 382 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2327-2716 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20251406.12 AB - Background: Obesity is a growing public health concern globally, contributing to multiple chronic diseases. Health literacy, defined as the ability to understand and apply health information, influences dietary and lifestyle behaviors, and may affect obesity outcomes. This study investigates the association between general obesity (BMI), central obesity (waist circumference), and health literacy among adults in southern Bangladesh. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 323 adults (162 males, 161 females) aged 18-65 years. Anthropometric measurements (BMI and WC) and the EU Health Literacy Score (HLS-EU) were collected. Data were analyzed using SPSS v28, including descriptive statistics, t-tests, and Pearson correlations. Results: Mean BMI was 25.1 ± 4.0 kg/m2, mean WC 86.2 ± 9.3 cm, and mean health literacy score 30.2 ± 8.1. Prevalence of overweight and obesity was 38% and 22%, respectively. BMI and WC positively correlated with age (r = 0.32, 0.29; p < 0.01) and negatively with health literacy (BMI: r = -0.21; WC: r = -0.18; p < 0.05). Conclusion: Both general and central obesity are prevalent among adults in southern Bangladesh, and lower health literacy is associated with higher obesity measures. Interventions targeting health literacy may improve obesity prevention and management. VL - 14 IS - 6 ER -
Department of Applied Nutrition and Food Technology, Islamic University, Bangladesh
Department of Applied Nutrition and Food Technology, Islamic University, Bangladesh
Department of Applied Nutrition and Food Technology, Islamic University, Bangladesh
Department of Applied Nutrition and Food Technology, Islamic University, Bangladesh
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