Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T03:43:58.710Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Overweight, obesity and fat distribution in 50- to 64-year-old participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

M Haftenberger ,
PH Lahmann ,
S Panico ,
CA Gonzalez ,
JC Seidell ,
H Boeing ,
MC Giurdanella ,
V Krogh ,
HB Bueno-de-Mesquita  and
PHM Peeters
...Show all authors
M Haftenberger*
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition, Arthur Scheunert Allee 114–116, D-14558 Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Germany
PH Lahmann
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition, Arthur Scheunert Allee 114–116, D-14558 Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Germany
S Panico
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
CA Gonzalez
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Barcelona, Spain
JC Seidell
Affiliation:
Centre of Chronic Diseases Epidemiology, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
H Boeing
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition, Arthur Scheunert Allee 114–116, D-14558 Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Germany
MC Giurdanella
Affiliation:
Cancer Registry, 'Civili – M.P. Arezzo' Hospital, Ragusa, Italy
V Krogh
Affiliation:
Epidemiology Unit, National Cancer Institute, Milan, Italy
HB Bueno-de-Mesquita
Affiliation:
Centre of Chronic Diseases Epidemiology, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
PHM Peeters
Affiliation:
Julius Center for General Practice and Patient Oriented Research, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands
G Skeie
Affiliation:
Institute for Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, Norway
A Hjartåker
Affiliation:
Section for Medical Statistics, University of Oslo, Norway
M Rodriguez
Affiliation:
Andalusian School of Public Health, Granada, Spain
JR Quirós
Affiliation:
Council for Health and Social Affairs of Asturia, Oviedo, Spain
G Berglund
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Lund University, Malmö University Hospital, Sweden
U Janlert
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, University of Umeå, Sweden
KT Khaw
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health and Primary Care, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK
EA Spencer
Affiliation:
Cancer Research UK, Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, UK
K Overvad
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Aarhus, Denmark
A Tjønneland
Affiliation:
Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark
F Clavel-Chapelon
Affiliation:
INSERM, E3N–EPIC Group, Institute Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
B Tehard
Affiliation:
INSERM, E3N–EPIC Group, Institute Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
AB Miller
Affiliation:
Division of Clinical Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Centre, Heidelberg, Germany
K Klipstein-Grobusch
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition, Arthur Scheunert Allee 114–116, D-14558 Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Germany
V Benetou
Affiliation:
Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of Athens, Greece
G Kiriazi
Affiliation:
Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of Athens, Greece
E Riboli
Affiliation:
International Agency for Cancer Research, Lyon, France
N Slimani
Affiliation:
International Agency for Cancer Research, Lyon, France
*
*Corresponding author: Email [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Objective:

To describe anthropometric characteristics of participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

Design:

A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data of a European prospective cohort study.

Subjects:

This analysis includes study populations from 25 centres in nine European countries. The British populations comprised both a population-based and a ‘health-conscious’ group. The analysis was restricted to 83 178 men and 163 851 women aged 50–64 years, this group being represented in all centres.

Methods:

Anthropometric examinations were undertaken by trained observers using standardised methods and included measurements of weight, height, and waist and hip circumferences. In the ‘health-conscious’ group (UK), anthropometric measures were predicted from self-reports.

Results:

Except in the ‘health-conscious’ group (UK) and in the French centres, mean body mass index (BMI) exceeded 25.0 kg m-2. The prevalence of obesity (BMI≥30 kg m-2) varied from 8% to 40% in men, and from 5% to 53% in women, with high prevalences (>25%) in the centres from Spain, Greece, Ragusa and Naples (Italy) and the lowest prevalences (<10%) in the French centres and the ‘health-conscious’ group (UK). The prevalence of a large waist circumference or a high waist-to-hip ratio was high in centres from Spain, Greece, Ragusa and Naples (Italy) and among women from centres in Germany and Bilthoven (The Netherlands).

Conclusions:

Anthropometric measures varied considerably within the EPIC population. These data provide a strong base for further investigation of anthropometric measures in relation to the risk of chronic diseases, especially cancer.

Keywords

EPIC studyAnthropometryObesityFat distributionCross-sectional studyEurope
Type
Research Article
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 5 , Issue 6b , December 2002 , pp. 1147 - 1162
Copyright
Copyright © CABI Publishing 2002

References

1World Health Organization (WHO). Obesity: Preventing and Managing the Global Epidemic. Report of a WHO Consultation. WHO Technical Report Series No. 894. Geneva: WHO, 2000.Google Scholar
2National Institutes of Health. Clinical guidelines on the identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults – the evidence report. Obes. Res. 1998; 6(Suppl. 2): 51S–209S.Google Scholar
3Seidell, JC, Kahn, HS, Williamson, DF, Lissner, L, Valdez, R. Report from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Workshop on use of adult anthropometry for public health and primary care health care. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2001; 73: 123–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4Seidell, JC. Obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes – a worldwide epidemic. Br. J. Nutr. 2000; 83(Suppl. 1): S5–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5Rodriguez, C, Patel, AV, Calle, EE, Jacobs, EJ, Chao, A, Thun, MJ. Body mass index, height and prostate cancer mortality in two large cohorts of adult men in the United States. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomark. Prev. 2001; 10: 345–53.Google ScholarPubMed
6Hsing, AW, Deng, H, Sesterhenn, IA, Mostofi, FK, Stanczyk, FZ, Benichou, J, et al. Body size and prostate cancer: a population-based case–control study in China. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomark. Prev. 2000; 9: 1335–41.Google ScholarPubMed
7Ford, ES. Body mass index and colon cancer in a national sample of adult US men and women. Am. J. Epidemiol. 1999; 150: 390–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8Caan, BJ, Coates, AO, Slattery, ML, Potter, JD, Quesenberry, CP Jr, Edwards, SM. Body size and the risk of colon cancer in a large case–control study. Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord. 1998; 22: 178–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9Goodman, MT, Hankin, JH, Wilkens, LR, Lyu, LC, McDuffie, K, Liu, LQ, et al. Diet, body size, physical activity, and the risk of endometrial cancer. Cancer Res. 1997; 57: 5077–85.Google ScholarPubMed
10Stoll, BA. Adiposity as a risk determinant for postmenopausal breast cancer. Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord. 2000; 24: 527–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11Sonnenschein, E, Toniolo, P, Terry, MB, Bruning, PF, Kato, I, Koenig, KL, et al. Body fat distribution and obesity in pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer. Int. J. Epidemiol. 1999; 28: 1026–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12Van den Brandt, P, Spiegelman, D, Yuan, SS, Adami, HO, Beesom, L, Folsom, AR, et al. Pooled analysis of prospective cohort studies on height, weight and breast cancer risk. Am. J. Epidemiol. 2000; 152: 514–27.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13Murphy, TK, Calle, EE, Rodriguez, C, Kahn, HS, Thun, MJ. Body mass index and colon cancer mortality in a large prospective study. Am. J. Epidemiol. 2000; 152: 847–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14Huang, Z, Willet, WC, Colditz, GA, Hunter, DJ, Manson, JE, Rosner, B, et al. Waist circumference, waist:hip ratio, and risk of breast cancer in the Nurses’ Health Study. Am.J.Epidemiol. 1999; 150: 1316–24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15Vainio, H, Bianchini, F, Cheney, J, eds. IARC Handbook of Cancer Prevention.Vol.6.Weight Control and Physical Activity. Lyon: IARC Press, 2002.Google Scholar
16Chow, WH, Gridley, G, Fraumeni, JF, Jarvholm, B. Obesity, hypertension and the risk of kidney cancer in men. N.Engl.J.Med. 2000; 343(18): 1305–11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17Chow, WH, Blot, WJL, Vaughan, TL, Risch, HA, Gammon, MD, Stanford, JL, et al. Body mass index and risk of adenocarcinomas of the esophagus and gastric cardia. J.Natl.Cancer Inst. 1998; 90: 150–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18Rimm, EB, Stampfer, MJ, Giovannucci, E, Ascherio, A, Spiegelman, D, Colditz, GA, et al. Body size and fat distribution as predictors of coronary heart disease among middle-aged and older US men. Am.J.Epidemiol. 1995; 141: 1117–27.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19Visscher, TLS, Seidell, JC, Menotti, A, Blackburn, H, Nissinen, A, Feskens, EJM, et al. Underweight and overweight in relation to mortality among men aged 40–59 and 50–59 years. Am.J.Epidemiol. 2000; 151: 660–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
20Lahmann, PH, Lissner, L, Gullberg, B, Berglund, G. A prospective study of adiposity and all-cause mortality: The Malmö Diet and Cancer Study. Obes.Res. 2002; 10: 361–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21Larsson, B, Svärdsudd, K, Welin, L, Wilhelmsen, L, Björntorp, P, Tibblin, G. Abdominal adipose tissue distribution, obesity, and risk of cardiovascular disease and death: 13-year follow-up of participants in the study of men born in 1913. Br.Med.J. 1984; 288: 1401–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
22Hartz, AJ, Rupley, DC, Rimm, AA. The association of girth measurements with disease in 32,856 women. Am.J.Epidemiol. 1984; 119: 71–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23Gupta, R, Majumdar, S. Correlation of waist–hip ratio with coronary heart disease and risk factor prevalence in a rural male population. Indian Heart J. 1994; 46: 145–8.Google Scholar
24Riboli, E, Kaaks, R. The EPIC Project: rationale and study design. Int.J.Epidemiol. 1997; 26(Suppl.1): S6–14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
25Riboli, E, Hunt, KJ, Slimani, N, Ferrari, P, Norat, T, Fahey, M, et al. European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study: study populations and data collection. Public Health Nutr. 2002; 5(6B): 1113–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
26Lohman, TG, Roche, AF, Martorell, R. Anthropometric Standardization Reference Manual. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Books, 1991.Google Scholar
27De Groot, CPGM, Sette, S, Zajkás, G, Carbajal, A, Amorim Cruz, JA. Nutritional status: anthropometry. Eur.J.Clin.Nutr. 1991; 45(Suppl.3): 43–52.Google ScholarPubMed
28Lean, MEJ, Han, TS, Morrison, CE. Waist circumference as a measure for indicating need for weight management. Br.Med.J. 1995; 311: 158–61.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
29Slimani, N, Kaaks, R, Ferrari, P, Casagrande, C, Clavel-Chapelon, F, Lotze, G, et al. European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) calibration study: rationale, design and population characteristics. Public Health Nutr. 2002; 5(6B): 1125–45.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
30Molarius, A, Seidell, JC, Sans, S, Tuomilehto, J, Kuulasmaa, K. Waist and hip circumferences, and waist–hip ratio in 19 populations of the WHO MONICA Project. Int.J.Obes.Relat.Metab.Disord. 1999; 23: 116–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
31Gutiérrez-Fisac, JL, Banegas Banegas, JR, Rodriguez Artalejo, F, Regidor, E. Increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among Spanish adults, 1987–1997. Int.J.Obes.Relat.Metab.Disord. 2000; 24: 1677–82.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
32Pagano, R, La Vecchia, C. Overweight and obesity in Italy, 1990–91. Int.J.Obes.Relat.Metab.Disord. 1994; 18: 665–9.Google ScholarPubMed
33Aranceta, J, Perez-Rodrigo, C, Serra-Majem, L, Ribas, L, Quiles Izquierdo, J, Vioque, J, et al. Spanish Collaborative Group for the Study of Obesity in Spain.Influence of sociodemographic factors in the prevalence of obesity in Spain.The SEEDO'97 study of obesity. Eur.J.Clin.Nutr. 2001; 55: 430–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
34Seidell, JC, Cigolini, M, Charzewska, J, Ellsinger, B-M, Di Biase, G. Fat distribution in European women: a comparison of anthropometric measurements in relation to cardiovascular risk factors. Int.J.Epidemiol. 1990; 19: 303–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
35Molarius, A, Seidell, JC. Selection of anthropometric indicators for classification of abdominal fatness – a critical review. Int.J.Obes. 1998; 22: 719–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
36Molarius, A, Seidell, JC, Sans, S, Tuomilehto, J, Kuulasmaa, K. Educational level, relative body weight and changes in their association over 10 years: an international perspective from the WHO MONICA project. Am.J.Public Health 2000; 90: 1260–8.Google ScholarPubMed
37Lahti-Koski, M, Pietinen, P, Mämmistö, S, Vartiainen, E. Trends in waist-to-hip ratio and its determinants in adults in Finland from 1987–1997. Am.J.Clin.Nutr. 2000; 72: 1436–1444.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
38Lissner, L, Björkelund, C, Heitmann, BL, Lapidus, L, Björntorp, P, Bengtsson, C. Secular increases in waist–hip ratio among Swedish women. Int.J.Obes.Relat.Metab.Disord. 1998; 22: 1116–20.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
39World Health Organization (WHO). WHO Health Report 2000. Geneva: WHO, 2000.Google Scholar