title: Factors associated with obesity: a case-control study of young adult Singaporean males.
abstract: A case-control study among Singapore Armed Forces' newly enlisted Servicemen was conducted to examine factors associated with male obesity. Four hundred and fifty-nine individuals from the Obese Basic Military Training program were selected as "cases" (average age: 19.5, body mass index: 30.4) and another 340 individuals were selected from the Normal Basic Military Training program as "controls" (average age: 19.3, body mass index: 21.4). Information such as family background, socioeconomic factors, and lifestyle practices were captured using facilitator-led questionnaires. Several variables were significantly associated with obesity after adjustments for possible confounders. These include childhood obesity (odds ratio [OR] = 2.06), less than an hour of exercise per day (OR = 2.97), Indian ethnicity (OR = 2.22), specific education backgrounds (especially that of Institute of Technical Education-OR = 2.75), father's employment at nonmanagerial/professional jobs (OR = 1.52), mother's employment at managerial/professional jobs (OR = 2.02), regular smoking (OR = 1.73) and alcohol consumption (OR = 2.26), 6 hours or less of sleep (OR = 3.73), obesity among family members (OR = 1.86 for mother; OR = 2.98 for siblings), parental history of diabetes mellitus (OR = 2.22 for father; OR = 2.70 for mother), and eating at inexpensive local food stalls (OR = 1.82). Our study found that a number of factors, ranging from personal and family backgrounds to lifestyle choices, were significantly associated with obesity among male youths.
authors.affiliation: Soldier Performance Centre, Singapore Armed Forces Medical Corps, 701 Transit Road No. 03-04 Singapore 778910.
authors.forename: Haiyuan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of Strategy and Policy, National University of Singapore, 15 Kent Ridge Drive, BIZ2 Building No. 03-22, Singapore 119245.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Soldier Performance Centre, Singapore Armed Forces Medical Corps, 701 Transit Road No. 03-04 Singapore 778910.
authors.forename: Joshua Dao
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Wei Sim
authors.affiliation: Soldier Performance Centre, Singapore Armed Forces Medical Corps, 701 Transit Road No. 03-04 Singapore 778910.
authors.forename: Zhi Zhen
authors.initials: ZZ
authors.lastname: Chum
authors.affiliation: Soldier Performance Centre, Singapore Armed Forces Medical Corps, 701 Transit Road No. 03-04 Singapore 778910.
authors.forename: Noreffendy Bin
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Department of Strategy and Policy, National University of Singapore, 15 Kent Ridge Drive, BIZ2 Building No. 03-22, Singapore 119245.
authors.forename: Mun Heng
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Toh
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment; D005006:Ethnicity; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology; D005190:Family; D005220:Fathers; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007194:India / Q000208:ethnology; D008019:Life Style; D008296:Malaysia / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D009035:Mothers; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D009790:Occupations; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000150:complications; D012846:Singapore; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology; D012907:Smoking; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult