Prevalence of obesity and associated sex-specific factors in an African-origin population

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of obesity and related sex-specific factors in a population of African descent. Design: Population-based cohort study. Setting and Participants: A simple random sample of 4,314 Barbados-born citizens of African origin, ≥40 years of age. Main Outcome Measure: Obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI: kg/m²) ≥30. Results: A significant sex differential for obesity exists in this population, with 11.5% of men and 33.2% of women found to have a BMI ≥30. Factors such as hypertension, elevated glycosylated hemoglobin and non-professional education were positively associated with obesity in both men and women, whereas an inverse relationship was found between obesity, current smoking, and older age. Among males, current drinkers were more likely to be obese (OR=1.43, 95% CI [1.04, 1.95]), whereas the reverse pattern was observed in the females (OR=0.59, [0.36, 0.98]). Other factors associated with obesity, specifically related to women, included lower socioeconomic status and increased parity. Conclusions: The prevalence of obesity is high among Westernized women of African origin and cultural influences are thought to substantially contribute to this problem. Identifying sex-specific factors and providing culturally sensitive and tailored outreach services to those at highest risk may help to reduce the burden that obesity and its related comorbidities have placed on public healthcare systems worldwide.