Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Maiduguri, North-Eastern Nigeria

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of obesity is on the increase worldwide including in many developing countries. There is no report on the magnitude of obesity among adults in Maiduguri, a major city in northeastern Nigeria.MATERIALS and METHODS: We selected a sample of 1650 men and women aged 15 years and above resident in Gwange ward in Maiduguri metropolitan council using a multistage sampling technique. Height, weight, waist (WC) and hip circumferences were measured. Body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were calculated. Data were analyzed using SPSS version13. The ethics committee of the Universityof Maiduguri Teaching Hospital approved the study and consent was sought individually from the participants before being enlisted.RESULTS: The mean (SD) age of the respondents was 36.2 (14.4) years, with a range of 15 to 70 years. The mean (SD) ages of the males and  females were 34.9 (14.3) and 38.9 (14.0) years, respectively, (p<0.001). The overall crude prevalence rates of overweight and obesity were 27.1% and 17.1%, respectively. In men, 40.6% were either overweight or obese, while in women 51.9% were either overweight or obese. We observed thehighest prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in the middle age group. There were more obese females than males (14.05 vs. 4.3%) among both young and elderly (12.1% vs. 10.5%) subjects.CONCLUSION: The prevalence of overweight and obesity is high in Maiduguri metropolis particularly among women. Concerted efforts should be made to curb the menace of increasing rate of obesity in the metropolis through public enlightenment on the risks associated with obesity and the benefits of adopting a healthy lifestyle.KEY WORDS: Overweight, Obesity, Prevalence, Maiduguri

Prevalence of obesity and ethno-geographic variation in body sizes of Nigerians with type 2 diabetes mellitus - a multi-centre study

BACKGROUND: Excess weight gain is common in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) but little is known about its ethno-geographic variation among the Nigerian populace. We aimed to report the prevalence and regional variation of overweight/obesity among subjects with type 2 DM in all the six geo-political regions of Nigeria.METHOD: Basic demographic and anthropometric data were consecutively collected from patients with type 2 DM attending out-patient clinics of seven designated teaching hospitals in the six geographic regions of the country using a pre-agreed method of measurement of anthropometry including waist circumference. The study was hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional in design. Body Mass Index (BMI) was categorised using the WHO criteria. Based on recommendations of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) cut-off values for waist circumference, values >94 cm and > 80 cm were taken as abnormal for men and women respectively.RESULTS: A total of 709 subjects with DM comprising 378 (53.3%) females and 331 (46.7%) males (female: male ratio 1:1.14) with an overall mean age (SD) of 51.9 (13.9) years were evaluated. The prevalence of excess body weight among Nigerian subjects with type 2 DM was: peripheral (417 or 58.8%) and abdominal obesity (449 or 63.3%). Also, there was a significant wide variation in excess weight gain (both peripheral and central) across ethno-geographic regions (p=0.001) and between both sexes (p=0.001). In both peripheral and abdominal obesities, whether intra or inter centres, the female subjects with type 2 DM demonstrated relatively higher proportions of anthropometric measures. Generally, subjects from south-south and south-east Nigeria had higher BMI and abdominal obesity compared to those from south-west who had the lowest. The female subjects with type 2 DM were heavier peripherally and centrally compared to their male counterparts.CONCLUSION: The prevalence of peripheral and central obesity among Nigerians living with type 2 DM (especially the female subjects) is unacceptably high. Additionally, there is a wide variation in the proportion and absolute values of both peripheral and central obesity across different parts of Nigeria.KEY WORDS: Obesity, Prevalence, Ethno-Geographic Variation, Nigerians, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitu