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Obesity in African women in the North West Province, South Africa is associated with an increased risk of non-communicable diseases: the THUSA study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

H. S. Kruger ,
C. S. Venter  and
H. H. Vorster
H. S. Kruger*
Affiliation:
School of Physiology, Nutrition and Family Ecology, Potchefstroom University for CHE, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa
C. S. Venter
Affiliation:
School of Physiology, Nutrition and Family Ecology, Potchefstroom University for CHE, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa
H. H. Vorster
Affiliation:
School of Physiology, Nutrition and Family Ecology, Potchefstroom University for CHE, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa
*
*Corresponding author: Dr H. S. Kruger, fax +27 18 299 2799, email [email protected]
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Abstract

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The objective of the present study was to assess the relationship between anthropometric measurements and risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCD) in South African black women. A cross-sectional sample of 1040 apparently healthy black female volunteers, 15–70 years old, was recruited from thirty-seven randomly selected sites in the North West Province, stratified according to level of urbanisation. We analysed the association between BMI, waist:hip (WHR), waist circumference (WC) and skinfold measurements and the following risk factors for NCD: blood pressure, serum lipids, fasting serum glucose and insulin and plasma fibrinogen, by using age-adjusted correlation analyses and stepwise regression analysis. Of the subjects, 28·6 % were obese (BMI>30). After adjustment for age and smoking status, BMI correlated significantly with diastolic blood pressure (r 0·21, P=0·037), serum triacylglycerols (TG) (r 0·30, P=0·003), fasting glucose (r 0·29, P=0·005) and log fasting insulin (r 0·24, P=0·02). There was a significant negative correlation between BMI and HDL-cholesterol (r -0·38, P<0·001). Similar but stronger correlations were found between both WC and WHR and these risk factors. Together with age, WC was a significant predictor of TG, HDL-cholesterol and fasting glucose in regression analysis, while subscapular skinfold was a significant predictor of diastolic blood pressure and fasting glucose concentration. Triceps skinfold was a significant predictor of total serum cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, plasma fibrinogen and the insulin sensitivity index. Measures of obesity, particularly WC, are associated with the risk for NCD in black South African women, in which a high rate of obesity has been found.

Keywords

Amino acidsProtein metabolismFeed intakeHindlimbArterio-venousSheep
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 86 , Issue 6 , December 2001 , pp. 733 - 740
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2001

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