Relationship between Physical Activity and Prevalence of Obesity and Overweight in the Disabled and Veterans

Document Type : Original Research

Authors

1 kashan pnu

2 markazi mdeu

Abstract

Aims: One of the leading risk factors for various diseases is obesity, a nutritional burden and an independent factor which increases mortality. Due to physical deficiency, the disabled and veterans have low levels of physical activity, which is associated with increased risk of obesity in them. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between physical activity and prevalence of obesity and overweight in the disabled and veterans.
Methods: 83 disabled and veterans volunteered to take part in this cross-sectional descriptive study. After checking the type and intensity of their disability, the percentage of body fat was measured by calipers, and the participants were divided into 3 groups accordingly: the athlete disabled (n = 19), active disabled (n = 42), and inactive disabled (n = 22).
Results: The comparison of fat mass in 3 groups showed that the athlete disabled had the lowest fat mass compared to other groups (P≤0.05).
Conclusion: According to the findings, more than half the participants were obese and overweight however, the inactive disabled and veterans had excessive fat mass in comparison with other groups. The main reason is sedentary life style. As such, paying attention to the important role played by nutritional elements and the health recommendations for veterans is of utmost importance.

Keywords

Journal of Military Medicine
Volume 14, Issue 4 - Serial Number 50
January and February 2013
Pages 245-248

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