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Background & Objective: It is essential to conduct studies on factors related to obesity in both reproductive ages and menopausal period. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of general and android obesity and to assess determinants of overweight in pre- and post-menopausal women.

Methods & Materials: In this cross-sectional, random survey of households, about 610 women 20-65 years were recruited. Data were collected via interviews with the participants. Weight, height, waist and hip circumferences were measured as well. The Body Mass Index (BMI) and the waist to hip ratio (WHR) were calculated. Overweight and general obesity were defined as 25≤BMI<30 and BMI≥30, respectively. Android obesity was defined as WHR≥0.85.

Results: The prevalence of overweight and general obesity was 90.6% in the premenopausal women and 72.6% in the post-menopausal women. About 75% and 41.9% of pre- and post-menopausal women had android obesity, respectively. Low literate post-menopausal women had significantly more general and android obesities. In addition, postmenopausal women with more parity had more android obesity. Pre-menopausal women with low literacy and housewives had significantly more general and android obesities. In addition, pre-menopausal women with more parity had less general obesity and more android obesity. In these women, android obesity was increased with age and decreased with physical activity.

Conclusion: The prevalence of general and android obesities was high in Islamshahr women, especially in the post-menopausal women. This result indicates that the women have potential risks for various diseases.

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Background & Aim: Access to peripheral veins in more than 80% of hospitalized patients is necessary. This skill is more difficult in the patients with overweight. The study was conducted to determine the effect of local heating on the success rate of venipuncture in the patients with overweight.
Methods & Materials: An unblinded, randomized clinical trial (IRCT2017020832133N1) was done on 70 patients with overweight, hospitalized in the internal department of Imam Reza hospital in Mashhad in 2016. Subjects were randomly allocated to the two groups of experimental and control. For the experimental group, the 39.5 degree (Celsius) local dry heat was applied at the venipuncture site, 10 minutes before venipuncture. The control group had venipuncture in a similar condition but without local heating. In the two groups, the rate of visibility and palpability of peripheral veins was measured by the Lenhardt scale, the required time for venipuncture was determined by chronometer and the number of venipuncture attempt was measured by counting. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, independent t-test and Chi-square using the SPSS software version 16.
Results: For the intervention and control groups, the average number of venipuncture attempt were respectively 1.0±0.1 and 1.3±0.5 times, duration of venipuncture were 89.7±26.3 and 120±38.9 seconds and the rate of visibility and palpability of peripheral veins were 2.9±0.7 and 2.3±0.5, and all were statistically significant (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The use of local heating for the overweight patients can increase the visibility and palpability of peripheral veins and decrease the duration of venipuncture and venipuncture attempts.