Prevalence of Underweight, Overweight and Obesity among Adults in Urban Bissau, Western Africa.

Ruben Turé,Nuno Lunet,Albertino Damasceno,Mouhammed Djicó

doi:10.3390/nu13124199

Abstract

Overweight and obesity affect a large proportion of the population and are important causes of death in both developed and low- and middle-income countries. In Guinea-Bissau, there are no previous population-based studies assessing this phenomenon. Therefore, we aimed to quantify the prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity among adults in Bissau. A stratified and cluster sample of 935 adults was assembled in 2021 and was evaluated using standardized questionnaires and anthropometric measurements, following the World Health Organization Stepwise Approach to Chronic Disease Risk Factor Surveillance. Underweight, obesity, and overweight were defined by body mass index based on the World Health Organization definitions. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 48.7% among women and 25.0% among men. The proportion of women with abdominal obesity was 14 times higher than it was in men (35.3% vs. 2.5%). The prevalence of overweight and obesity increased with age and income. Underweight was more prevalent in the age group of 18 to 24 years (18.4% in women and 28.9% in men) and was less frequent among individuals with higher socioeconomic status. In conclusion, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is similar to the trends that are observed in many other urbanized populations in Africa and is already a major public health issue in urban Guinea-Bissau.

Highlights

Overweight and obesity affect a large proportion of the population and are important causes of death both in developed and low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) [1]
This study shows that overweight and obesity affect over one-third of the adult women and nearly one-quarter of adult men in Bissau
The prevalence of overweight and obesity in the current study is similar to that reported among urban dwellers in Mozambique in

Summary

Introduction

Overweight and obesity affect a large proportion of the population and are important causes of death both in developed and low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) [1]. In. 2016, an estimated 1900 million adults worldwide were overweight, and 650 million of them were obese [2]. The prevalence of overweight and obesity among urban dwellers in African countries has seen a rapid increase over the past two decades [6], reflecting the demographic and nutritional transitions that are occurring in the continent [7]. This includes lifestyle modifications and the westernization of diets, which may be regarded as desirable status 4.0/). Over one-quarter of the adults in Africa are estimated to be overweight or obese [9]

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Conclusion