Obesity affects 37.7% of surveyed healthcare workers in Oman

A cross-sectional study of healthcare workers employed in governmental institutions across Oman found that 37.7% of participants with complete body-mass-index data were classified as obese, according to the research. The analysis enrolled 297 workers between October 2025 and February 2026, while the prevalence estimate was based on the 215 participants whose self-reported height and weight allowed investigators to calculate BMI. Obesity was defined as a body mass index of at least 30 kilograms per square metre. The study was intended to estimate prevalence and identify associated health and occupational factors, rather than measure changes over time or establish cause and effect.

Prevalence was highest among workers aged 40 years or older, reaching 41.0%, while 38.0% of female participants were classified as obese. These percentages describe the surveyed population and should not be read as population-wide estimates for all healthcare workers in Oman. The study excluded retired healthcare workers, pregnant women and private-sector employees, restricting its scope to workers employed by governmental healthcare institutions. It also used a structured, self-administered online questionnaire, including participants’ self-reported anthropometric measurements, rather than heights and weights measured directly by researchers.

Investigators used descriptive statistics to calculate the proportion of participants meeting the obesity threshold. They then performed bivariate analyses with chi-square tests or Fisher’s exact tests to examine relationships between obesity and demographic, medical, behavioural and workplace characteristics. A p-value below 0.05 was set as the threshold for statistical significance. The sample size prevented advanced multivariable modelling, so the study could not estimate the independent effects of multiple factors or adjust the reported associations for potential confounding. Its cross-sectional design also means that the timing and direction of relationships cannot be determined.

Past medical history was the only reported health factor significantly associated with obesity in the bivariate analysis. Obesity affected 50.0% of participants with a past medical history, compared with 33.5% of those without one, with a p-value of 0.031. The supplied study summary does not describe the conditions included in the medical-history measure. The result therefore establishes an association in this sample, not evidence that prior health problems caused obesity or that obesity contributed to the recorded conditions. Regular exercise was not significantly associated with obesity at the study’s predefined threshold: prevalence was 43.7% among workers who did not exercise regularly and 25.0% among those who did, but the difference yielded a p-value of 0.070.

Workplace food availability was the other statistically significant association. Obesity prevalence was 22.0% among workers who reported that healthy food was available at work and 43.2% among those who reported that it was unavailable, with a p-value of 0.033. This comparison came from an unadjusted bivariate analysis and does not demonstrate that providing healthier food would directly reduce obesity. Access to workout facilities, flexible working hours, a supportive workplace culture and wellness programs had no statistically significant associations with obesity in the reported analysis. Overall, the findings show that obesity was common in the surveyed governmental healthcare workforce and identify two significant bivariate associations—past medical history and availability of healthy food at work—while leaving their causal and independent effects unresolved.

Subject of Research: Obesity prevalence and associated health and workplace factors among governmental healthcare workers in Oman

Article Title: Prevalence and factors associated with obesity among healthcare workers in Oman: a cross-sectional study

Article References: Al-Kalbani, S. R., & Al-Qanubi, H. (2026). Prevalence and factors associated with obesity among healthcare workers in Oman: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-29939-w

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12889-026-29939-w

Keywords: obesity, healthcare workers, Oman, body mass index, workplace nutrition, occupational health, physical activity, cross-sectional study, public health, Prevalence, factors, associated