Anthropometry measures and prevalence of obesity in the urban adult population of Cameroon: an update from the Cameroon Burden of Diabetes Baseline Survey

BACKGROUND: The objective of the study was to provide baseline and reference data on the prevalence and distribution of overweight and obesity, using different anthropometric measurements in adult urban populations in Cameroon. METHODS: The Cameroon Burden of Diabetes Baseline Survey was a cross-sectional study, conducted in 4 urban districts (Yaoundé, Douala, Garoua and Bamenda) of Cameroon, using the WHO Step approach for population-based assessment of cardiovascular risk factors. Body mass index, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio were measured using standardized methods. Overall, 10,011 individuals, 6,004 women and 4,007 men, from 4,189 households, aged 15 years and above participated. RESULTS: Based on body mass index, more than 25% of urban men and almost half of urban women were either overweight or obese with 6.5% of men and 19.5% of women being obese. The prevalence of obesity showed considerable variation with age in both genders. Using body mass index provided the highest prevalence of obesity in men (6.5%) and waist-to-hip ratio the lowest prevalence (3.2%). Among women, using waist-to-hip ratio and waist circumference yielded the highest prevalence of obesity (28%) and body mass index the lowest (19.5%). There was a trend towards an increase in age-adjusted odd ratios of being overweight or obese with duration of education in both sexes. CONCLUSION: The study provides current data on anthropometric measurements and obesity in urban Cameroonian populations, and found high prevalences of overweight and obesity particularly over 35 years of age, and among women. Prevalence varied according to the measure used. Our findings highlight the need to carry out further studies in Cameroonian and other Sub-Saharan African populations to provide appropriate cut-off points for the identification of people at risk of obesity-related disorders, and indicate the need to implement interventions to reverse increasing levels of obesity

The insertion/deletion polymorphism of angiotensin-converting enzyme gene predisposes Cameroon female type 2 diabetes mellitus patients to essential hypertension

The association between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and essential hypertension (EH) is not well  understood. Both conditions result from an interaction of multiple genetic (ethnic) and environmental (geographical) factors. One possible genetic determinant is the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) insertion/deletion (I/D) gene polymorphism. Observations on the association between this polymorphism and EH in T2DM patients have been inconsistent in different populations. Given the high prevalence of EH in diabetic patients in the South West Region (SWR) of Cameroon, the aim of this work was to study the relationship between I/D polymorphism of the ACE gene and hypertension in T2DM patients. ACE I/D polymorphism was determined by Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and D/D typing was further reconfirmed using insertion-allele-specific amplification. Analysis of ACE genotype and allele frequencies revealed statistically insignificant differences between the normotensive and hypertensive T2DM subjects. On the contrary, the frequency of the I allele was significantly lower in the normotensive than the hypertensive diabetic females. These findings suggest that the I allele of the ACE gene predisposes female T2DM patients to EH.Key words: Diabetes, Hypertension, Angiotensin converting enzyme, Insertion deletion, Genetic polymorphis

Attributes of Instances of Student Mathematical Thinking that Are Worth Building on in Whole-Class Discussion

© 2017 Taylor & Francis. This study investigated attributes of 278 instances of student mathematical thinking during whole-class interactions that were identified as having high potential, if made the object of discussion, to foster learners’ understanding of important mathematical ideas. Attributes included the form of the thinking (e.g., question vs. declarative statement), whether the thinking was based on earlier work or generated in the moment, the accuracy of the thinking, and the type of thinking (e.g., sense-making). Findings illuminate the complexity of identifying student thinking worth building on during whole-class discussion and provide insight into important attributes of these high potential instances that could be used to help teachers more easily recognize them. Implications for researching, learning, and enacting the teaching practice of building on student mathematical thinking are discussed

Investigating the Management of Geological Hazards and Risks in the Mt Cameroon Area Using Focus Group Discussions

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Blind-prediction: Estimating the consequences of vented hydrogen deflagrations for inhomogeneous mixtures in 20-foot ISO containers

This paper summarises the results from a blind-prediction benchmark study for models used for estimating the consequences of vented hydrogen deflagrations, as well as for users of such models. The work was part of the HySEA project that received funding from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) under grant agreement no. 671461. The first blind-prediction benchmark exercise in the HySEA project focused on vented explosions with homogeneous hydrogen-air mixtures in 20-foot ISO containers. The scenarios selected for the second blind-prediction study focused on vented deflagrations in inhomogeneous hydrogen-air mixtures resulting from continuous stratification of hydrogen during vertical jet releases inside 20-foot ISO containers. The deflagrations were vented through commercial vent panels located on the roof of the containers. The test program included two configurations and four experiments, i.e. two repeated tests for each scenario. The paper compares experimental results and model predictions and discusses the implications of the findings for safety related to hydrogen applications. Several modellers predicted the stratification of hydrogen inside the container during the release phase with reasonable accuracy. However, there is significant spread in the model predictions, especially for the maximum reduced explosion pressure, and including predictions from different modellers using the same model system. The results from the blind-prediction benchmark studies performed as part of the HySEA project constitute a strong incentive for developers of consequence models to improve their models, implement automated procedures for scenario definition and grid generation, and update training and guidelines for users of the models