Investigating women's awareness, attitude, and practice on weight loss medications in Semnan's sports clubs in ۲۰۲۳

Background and Objective: The increasing rate of obesity all over the world has led to the establishment of different approaches to manage weight. One of the most popular strategies is pharmacotherapy for weight loss. The present study aims to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice about these medications in women attending Semnan’s sports clubs.Materials and Methods: ۳۵۰ women from ۱۰ different private sport clubs in Semnan, Iran, were selected randomly. A self-administered questionnaire containing ۲۴ questions about obesity and weight loss approaches, especially medications, was used to assess Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP). Demographic and anthropometric information were gathered from all the participants. SPSS ۲۱ was used for statistical analysis.Results and Conclusion: Mean age and weight of participants were ۳۰.۵ ±۹.۵ years and ۷۰.۱ ±۱۳.۱ kg, respectively. More than ۶۸% were overweight or obese, and ۵۴% had a poor self-image. Results from KAP revealed that the average knowledge score about weight loss medications was ۹.۴۵ ±۱.۸, implying a weak level of knowledge among our participants, and people with higher BMI had higher score (P = ۰.۰۴۵). The attitude and practice of the participants showed a higher score than knowledge and had an inverse relationship with anthropometric indices so that the higher body mass index, the lower score of attitude and practice (P < ۰.۰۰۱ and P = ۰.۰۰۷, respectively). This study highlights a significant knowledge gap regarding weight loss pharmacotherapy among women attending gyms. Given the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in this population, as well as poor body image perceptions, it is important to promote educational initiatives focused on safe and effective weight management strategies, emphasizing addressing both educational and behavioral aspects of weight management programs to support healthier lifestyles.

کلیدواژه ها:

Knowledge ، attitudes ، practices ، Weight loss medications ، sport