High Prevalence of Obesity Calls for a Priority Action for Non-Communicable Disease Crises in Adult Women: Findings of a Community-Based Study in Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract

Pakistan is considered a country in which women and children are facing serious under-nutrition related problems. The National Nutrition Survey of Women in Pakistan (2011) has also shown serious vitamin A, vitamin D, iron, zinc, and calcium deficiency. However, the issue of over-nutrition, as measured by BMI, has received far less attention. Obesity is a recognized risk factor for many noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular (CVD), type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and certain cancers [1]. Furthermore, there is an associated increased risk of morbidity and mortality, as well as reduced life expectancy [2]. Pakistan ranks among the top 10 countries of the world in many of these chronic diseases. An analysis of data from the National Health Survey of Pakistan (1990–1994) showed 25% prevalence of overweight and obesity in the Pakistani adult population [3]. However, prevalence of overweight and obesity was 42.8% in females aged 35–44 years. High prevalence of overweight and obesity in females (36.15%) was also reported previously in a study (n = 834) conducted in employees of universities and health and research institutions in Peshawar in 2003 [4]. In another community-based study (n = 2000) conducted in Multan, high prevalence of overweight and obesity in females (36%) was observed [5]. More recently, in 2011, we conducted a crosssectional community-based study in premenopausal females in 3 randomly-selected towns of Karachi to find out the prevalence of vitamin D3 deficiency and its risk factors. An individual BMI of >25 kg/m2 in our region has been advanced as an Asian cut-off for defining obesity [5–7]. In our survey of 305 subjects, the sample mean was 24 kg/m2. Furthermore, 43.3% and 19.3% of our participants were obese and overweight, respectively (table 1). In countries in which nutrition programs’ emphasis has been on under-nutrition, our findings should have implications for obesity-related, future disease burden due to increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity [8]. This calls for action on behalf of the policy-makers for addressing a very important public health issue in our population. It seems that while we have not addressed the agenda of under-nutrition, we are now facing a dual burden of disease with a growing epidemic of obesity in our population. This high prevalence of obesity is alarming and needs to be addressed immediately. Aysha Habib Khan, Ghazala Naureen, Romaina Iqbal