Submit Manuscript

Journal of Medical Sciences

Year: 2008 | Volume: 8 | Issue: 8 | Page No.: 682-690
Facebook Twitter Digg Reddit Linkedin StumbleUpon E-mail

Article Trend

Total views 176

Authors

W. K.B.A. Owiredu

M. S. Adamu

N. Amidu

E. Woode

V. Bam

J. Planger-Rhule

C. Opoku-Okrah

Keywords

The purpose of this study was to examine the risk associations between indices of obesity [Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist Circumference (WC), Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) and Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR)], cardiovascular risk factors [plasma glucose and cholesterol and blood pressure] and morbidity conditions (Type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidemia) among Penteco-Charismatic Ghanaians. Three hundred and eighty three Penteco-Charismatic Ghanaian subjects (18-85 years of age) were recruited from Pentecost Church, Santasi (101), Assembly of God Bantama (192) and, Assembly of God, Old Tafo (90) in Kumasi, Ghana. The mean BMI were 25.72±5.97 kg m-2, 22.61±3.48 and 27.10±6.33 kg m-2 for the study population, male and female subjects, respectively. The mean WC measurement for the subjects was 90.21±12.29 cm and 85.91±8.77 and 92.10±13.13 cm in male and females, respectively. There were increasing trends between indices of obesity and the severity of cardiovascular risk factors and the prevalence of morbidity conditions (all p-values for trend <0.05). Patients with a greater number of comorbidities also had higher BMI, WC, WHR and WHtR measurements (all p-values for the trend were <0.05 with adjustment for age and gender). Despite Penteco-Charismatic Ghanaian subjects being less obese than subjects from Caucasians countries, the intimate relationships among obesity, cardiovascular risk factors and morbidity conditions remain. This study support using lower BMI and WC levels to define obesity and its associated health risks rather than using the criteria established for Caucasians who generally have larger body frames. Obesity is becoming increasingly common among Ghanaian adults. There is, therefore, the need for broad-based programs that facilitate healthy eating and activity patterns for all age groups. Health professionals should incorporate measurement of BMI and WHR into the routine examinations of patients to enhance their evaluation of the health status of their patients.
PDF Fulltext XML References Citation

Related Articles

Effect of Basal Gonadotropins, Prolactin and Anthropometry as Predictive Markers of Ovarian Response in Patients Seeking Assisted Reproduction
Better Anthropometric Indicators to Predict Elevated Blood Pressure in North Indian Punjabi Adolescents
Heritability of Certain Anthropometric and Physiometric Phenotypes among Three Predominant Caste Population in Punjab, India
Factor Analysis of Anthropometric, Physiometric and Metabolic Risk Traits Associated with Cardiovascular Diseases in North Indian Punjabi Adults

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *