Comprehensive Assessment of Lifestyle, Health, and Anthropometric Factors

Using a self-constructed face-to-face interview questionnaire, data were collected with multistage stratified random sampling. The data included detailed demographic and socioeconomic information (sex, marital status, educational levels, workplace, experience, monthly income, etc.), lifestyle involved (sleep duration, workload, work routine, and physical activity [measured by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, IPAQ-short version]) (23 (link)); the health profile involved [dietary patterns adapted from questions used in the food frequency questionnaire (24 (link), 25 (link))], menstrual cycle, family history of the disease, medical records, etc. After analyzing the literature on the subject, the questionnaire was well-prepared. The questionnaire's validity was tested by sending the completed questionnaire and a cover letter explaining the study's goal to 10 experts in various health professions (associated professors, hospital directors, managers of health departments, and academic teachers) who were asked to comment on the questionnaire. From the original English edition, all questions were translated into Arabic (forward and English and Arabic mother-tongue speakers performed backward translations). The study's research team consisted of five workers, physicians, and nurses, who collected the questionnaires by filling out the printed sheets.
Expert nurses measured each participant's anthropometric data by using standard protocols (26 (link), 27 ), and height and weight were measured using stadiometers and weighing scales, respectively (26 (link)). A measuring tape was positioned 1 cm below the umbilicus and at the iliac crest to measure the circumferences of the waist and hips, respectively (27 ). The body mass index (BMI) formula (kg/m²) = Weight (kg)/Height squared (m²) (28 (link)) was used to calculate the BMI. We defined obesity according to WHO criteria; where underweight people had a BMI of <18.5 kg/m², normal weight had a BMI of 18.5–24.9 kg/m², overweight had a BMI of 25.0–29.9 kg/m², and obese were over 30.0 kg/m² (29 (link)).
The blood pressure (BP) values were taken with a sphygmomanometer. After participants had rested in a sitting position for at least 10 min, experienced nurses took two measurements on the right arm at a properly sized cuffed 1-min interval, with the arm supported at heart level and feet flat on the floor (30 (link)).