Table 1.
Characteristics of the overweight and obese adult study population, of the “Gezondheidsmonitor 2012” (n = 4220)
| Variables | Categories | Men (n = 2218) | Women (n = 2002) | Total (n = 4220) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Need for help for weight loss, n (%) | Yes (certainly, maybe) | 421 (19.0) | 631 (31,5) | 1055 (24.9) |
| I already receive help | 100 (4.5) | 170 (8.5) | 270 (6.4) | |
| No need for help | 1697 (76.5) | 1201 (60.0) | 2898 (68.7) | |
| Predisposing characteristics | ||||
| Age, mean (SD) | 49.0 (11.0) | 47.7 (11.6) | 48.4 (11.3) | |
| Age category, n (%) | 19–34 years | 280 (12.6) | 311 (15.5) | 591 (14.0) |
| 35–49 years | 743 (33.5) | 674 (33.7) | 1417 (33.6) | |
| 50–64 years | 1195 (53.9) | 1017 (50.8) | 2212 (52.4) | |
| Ethnicity, n (%) | Native Dutch | 1917 (86.4) | 1681 (84.0) | 3598 (85.3) |
| Western | 176 (7.9) | 184 (9.2) | 360 (8.5) | |
| Non-western | 125 (5.6) | 137 (6.8) | 262 (6.2) | |
| Marital status, n (%) | Married/ cohabiting | 1789 (80.6) | 1548 (77.3) | 3337 (79.1) |
| Unmarried | 256 (11.6) | 210 (10.5) | 466 (11.0) | |
| Divorced | 143 (6.4) | 179 (8.9) | 322 (7.6) | |
| Widowed | 30 (1.4) | 65 (3.3) | 95 (2.3) | |
| Educational level, n (%) | Low (primary, lower vocational) | 91 (4.1) | 108 (5.4) | 199 (4.7) |
| Medium (secondary, secondary vocational) | 1398 (63.0) | 1352 (67.5) | 2750 (65.2) | |
| High (≥ bachelor’s degree) | 729 (32.9) | 542 (27.1) | 1271 (30.1) | |
| Health- and weight-related factors | ||||
| Perceived health, n (%) | Poor (fair, bad and very bad) | 449 (20.2) | 463 (23.1) | 912 (21.6) |
| Body Mass Index, mean (SD) | 28.1 (2.9) | 28.9 (3.7) | 28.5 (3.3) | |
| Weight status, n (%) | Overweight (25 ≤ BMI < 30) | 1778 (80.2) | 1419 (70.9) | 3197 (75.8) |
| Obese (BMI ≥ 30) | 440 (19.8) | 583 (29.1) | 1023 (24.2) | |
| Comorbiditiesb, n (%) | ≥ 1 weight-related chronic condition | 1106 (49.9) | 1105 (55.2) | 2211 (52.4) |
| Physical activity level (PA)a, n (%) | Non-active (meeting PA norm 0 days/week) | 134 (6.0) | 119 (5.9) | 253 (6.0) |
| Semi-active (meeting PA norm 1–4 days/week) | 722 (32.6) | 615 (30.7) | 1337 (31.7) | |
| Norm active (meeting PA norm ≥5 days/week) | 1362 (61.4) | 1268 (63.4) | 2630 (62.3) | |
| Enabling resources | ||||
| Income, n (%) | Low (≤€15,200–€19,400) | 343 (15.5) | 429 (21.4) | 772 (18.3) |
| Middle (€19,401–€31,000) | 1041 (46.9) | 958 (47.9) | 1999 (47.4) | |
| High (>€31,000) | 834 (37.6) | 615 (30.7) | 1449 (34.3) | |
aPhysical activity level based on the Dutch norm for sufficient physical activity: ≥5 days/week 30 min moderately intense physical activity
bComorbidities include: cardio-vascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, asthma/COPD, gastrointestinal diseases, osteoarthritis, and back conditions