Distorted self-perceived weight status and its associated factors among civil servants in Tamale, Ghana: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Obesity has been described as an epidemic and a major public health concern globally. Distorted self-perceived weight status can negatively impact an individual’s decision to lose weight as well as adoption of healthful weight management attitudes. This study described self-perceived weight status among adults working in civil service departments in Tamale, Ghana, and compared it to their classification based on WHR. It also examined associations of distorted self-perceived weight status with weight loss attitudes, socio-demographic variables and knowledge levels on the health effects of overweight and obesity. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was undertaken from January 2011 to July 2011 among a sample of 186 civil servants living in Tamale. Out of the sample, 121 were men and 65 were women. Participants’ self-perceived weight status, socio-demographic and weight loss attitudes were assessed by means of a 10-item questionnaire. Participants’ waist and hip circumferences were measured with appropriate tools and computed into waist hip ratio (WHR) and classified based on WHO classifications. RESULTS: More than 80% of the participants were aged below 40 years. Generally, 56.5% (n = 105) participants had normal weight and 31.2% (n = 58) were centrally obese. The proportion of participants being centrally obese was higher in women compared to men (p < 0.0001). Forty four percent of the studied population had a distorted self-perceived weight status. Less than10% of participants self-perceived themselves as overweight/obese, in which over 47% were, in fact, overweight/obese as measured by WHR. Factors associated with distorted self-perceived weight status were being overweight/obese (Crude OR = 97.3; (35.8-264.6; p < 0.0001), aged < 40 years (Crude OR = 2.8; 95% CI = 1.3-6.5; p = 0.0102) and having inadequate knowledge on the health effects of overweight/obesity (Crude OR = 3.7; CI = 1.3-11.0; p = 0.0114). Weight loss attitudes and methods used to lose weight were not significantly associated to self-perceived weight status and WHR measured weight status. CONCLUSIONS: Self-perceived and WHR measured weight status of participants did not conform. Distorted self-perceived weight status was not associated to weight loss attitudes but to being overweight/obese, being younger (<40 years) and having inadequate knowledge on the health effects of overweight/obesity. Educating people on accurate weight perception and the health effects of overweight/obesity should be considered in designing public health strategies to curb the rising prevalence of overweight/obesity and other non-communicable diseases in Ghana.