Prevalence of overweight, obesity, abdominal obesity and obesity-related risk factors in southern China

Lihua Hu,Juxiang Li,Chunjiao You,Huihui Bao,Runlin Gao,Ping Li,Qinhua Wu,Yanqing Wu,Kui Hong,Zengwu Wang,Xiaoshu Cheng,Xiao Huang

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0183934

Abstract

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence of overweight/obesity, abdominal obesity and obesity-related risk factors in southern China.MethodsA cross-sectional survey of 15,364 participants aged 15 years and older was conducted from November 2013 to August 2014 in Jiangxi Province, China, using questionnaire forms and physical measurements. The physical measurements included body height, weight, waist circumference (WC), body fat percentage (BFP) and visceral adipose index (VAI). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the risk factors for overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity.ResultsThe prevalence of overweight was 25.8% (25.9% in males and 25.7% in females), while that of obesity was 7.9% (8.4% in males and 7.6% in females). The prevalence of abdominal obesity was 10.2% (8.6% in males and 11.3% in females). The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 37.1% in urban residents and 30.2% in rural residents, and this difference was significant (P < 0.001). Urban residents had a significantly higher prevalence of abdominal obesity than rural residents (11.6% vs 8.7%, P < 0.001). Among the participants with an underweight/normal body mass index (BMI), 1.3% still had abdominal obesity, 16.1% had a high BFP and 1.0% had a high VAI. Moreover, among obese participants, 9.7% had a low /normal WC, 0.8% had a normal BFP and 15.9% had a normal VAI. Meanwhile, the partial correlation analysis indicated that the correlation coefficients between VAI and BMI, VAI and WC, and BMI and WC were 0.700, 0.666, and 0.721, respectively. A multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that being female and having a high BFP and a high VAI were significantly associated with an increased risk of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity. In addition, living in an urban area and older age correlated with overweight/obesity.ConclusionThis study revealed that obesity and abdominal obesity, which differed by gender and age, are epidemic in southern China. Moreover, there was a very high, significant, positive correlation between WC, BMI and VAI. However, further studies are needed to explore which indicator of body fat could be used as the best marker to indirectly reflect cardiometabolic risk.

Highlights

Obesity has become a growing global public health problem, owing to its high prevalence and substantial morbidity and mortality
The partial correlation analysis indicated that the correlation coefficients between visceral adipose index (VAI) and body mass index (BMI), VAI and waist circumference (WC), and BMI and WC were 0.700, 0.666, and 0.721, respectively
This study revealed that obesity and abdominal obesity, which differed by gender and age, are epidemic in southern China

Summary

Introduction

Obesity has become a growing global public health problem, owing to its high prevalence and substantial morbidity and mortality. Obesity has rapidly been established as a public health problem. China has seen rapid economic growth that has led to changes in dietary and physical activity patterns and an increase in life expectancy, which, in turn, has led to an increase in obesity prevalence, especially in large cities [4,5]. Previous studies have showed that the prevalence of obesity increased from 4.0% in 1993 to 10.7% in 2009 and an increase in the overweight prevalence by 67% from 9.4% to 15.7% was observed over this time period [5]. There are still no largescale surveys published on the obesity prevalence in southern China, especially in Jiangxi Province

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Results

Conclusion