Association of gender and education with blood lipids and fasting glucose levels in a sample of Iranian obese adults

This study aimed to assess the relationship between gender and educational level with obesity related conditions in a sample of adult obese subjects in Rasht, northern Iran. A total of 1113 of men and 1279 women took part in this study. Data on age, original body weight, and educational level were collected. Blood lipids, fasting serum sugar (FBS), waist circumference, body weight and height were measured. The findings showed that the men had significantly higher serum triglyceride levels (270.0 ± 202.2 vs. 203.4 ± 180.1 P = 0.0001) and FBS (126.5 ± 103.8 vs. 118.2 ± 53.8 P = 0.03) and they had lower serum HDL-cholesterol levels than the women when differences in severity of obesity, age, original weight, waist circumference, and educational levels were taken into account. These findings showed that blood lipid levels and FBS were not different between educational groups in men. In women, serum HDL-cholesterol was lower, and serum triglyceride and FBS levels were higher in lower educational groups than higher educational ones.