Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity and it’s associated risk factors in a rural population in Kano, northwestern Nigeria.

Materials and methods: Thousand and twenty four men and women aged 18 years and above, who reside in Kumbotso ward in Kano, northwestern Nigeria were enrolled into the study using a multistage random sampling technique over a 5 months period (November 2014–April 2015). Anthropometric indices, height, weight, waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference were measured BMI, and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were then calculated. BP measurements, fasting plasma lipids, and fasting plasma glucose were performed. Data analyzed using SPSS version 16.

Results: A total of 1024 adults with a mean age of 41.85 (17.62) years with age range of (18–94 years) were enrolled in the study. The mean BMI, WC, and FPG were 23.265 (S.D. 4.578), 84.11 cm (S.D. 12.82296), and 4.7 mmol/l (1.2) respectively. The overall crude prevalence rates of overweight and obesity were 19.73 and 8.8% respectively. In men, 21.96% were either overweight or obese, while in women 33.06% were either overweight or obese. We observed the highest prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in the middle age group. 60.45% of the population had normal BMI (69.69 and 54.05% in men and women respectively). HDL and total cholesterol increased with increasing BMI but there was no increase in triglycerides levels with increase in BMI.

Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight and obesity is high in rural Nigerian population. It is higher in women than men. Public campaign is necessary to curb the spread of the menace especially the benefits of adopting a healthy lifestyle.