Central obesity and its predictors among adults in Nekemte town, West Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Abdominal obesity is emerging as a major contributor to the worsening of non-communicable diseases. There is a dearth of data on central obesity among adults in Ethiopia in general and in the study area in particular. The aim of this research was to determine the prevalence of central obesity and its predictors among adults in Nekemte, Ethiopia. Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Nekemte town from March to April 2020. Multistage sampling technique was used to select 466 study participants. Interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The data were entered into Epi Data 3.1 and analyzed by SPSS Version 25. Bivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify candidate variables at p < 0.25. Finally, multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent predictors of central obesity at p < 0.05 with 95% confidence intervals. Results: Prevalence of central obesity in this study was found to be 28.4% (95% CI 24.5–32.6). Where, the prevalence was higher among females (37%) than males (18%). Being a female (AOR = 5.59, 95% CI 2.95–10.57), age range of 40–49 years (AOR = 4.91, 95% CI 2.17–11.13), ⩾ 50 years (AOR = 8.16, 95% CI 3.21–20.72), being in marriage (AOR = 9.306, 95% CI 4.23–20.44), highest wealth status (AOR = 7.94, 95% CI 3.76–16.76), consumption of fast foods (AOR = 3.022, 95% CI 1.375–6.64), and lack of knowledge about obesity (AOR = 3.39, 95% CI 1.93–5.95) were factors associated with central obesity. Conclusion: The study revealed a moderate prevalence of central obesity in the study area. Being a female, older age, being in marriage, richest household wealth status, consumption of fast foods, and lack of knowledge on obesity were identified as factors associated with central obesity. Comprehensive health education and promotion on healthy diet should be encouraged focusing on females, married individuals, and older ages.

Prevalence of central obesity and its associated risk factors among adults in Southeast Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study

“…In this study, women had 13 times higher odds of central obesity compared to men. This finding is corroborated by similar studies in different parts of Ethiopia (35-39). Similarly, studies conducted by Jaacks et al ., suggested that in countries with stage 1 obesity transition, the prevalence of obesity is higher among women compared to men (45).…”

“…In comparison to men, women had a higher prevalence of central obesity (53.1% vs 15.4%). The figures reported in this study are comparable with studies conducted in Gondar and Dabat towns, Northwest Ethiopia (37.6% & 33.6%) (37,43), but higher than the studies conducted in Nekemte town, West Ethiopia (28.4%) (35), Woldia town, Northeast Ethiopia (15.5%) (36), and Dilla town South Ethiopia (24.4%) (38). The possible variations of the obesity prevalence could be explained by the use of different cutoff values for waist circumferences (36) and the variation of age distributions between the studies participants (35,38).…”

“…The figures reported in this study are comparable with studies conducted in Gondar and Dabat towns, Northwest Ethiopia (37.6% & 33.6%) (37,43), but higher than the studies conducted in Nekemte town, West Ethiopia (28.4%) (35), Woldia town, Northeast Ethiopia (15.5%) (36), and Dilla town South Ethiopia (24.4%) (38). The possible variations of the obesity prevalence could be explained by the use of different cutoff values for waist circumferences (36) and the variation of age distributions between the studies participants (35,38). Furthermore, variation in the gender make-up of the samples might be a possible reason for the differences, given such large differences in prevalence found in this study.…”

“…In Ethiopia, epidemiological studies regarding the prevalence, distribution, and determinants of obesity are meager. More specifically, few studies have assessed the prevalence and risk factors of central (abdominal) obesity (34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39), a superior predictor of NCDs. The prevalence reported in the aforementioned previous studies ranges from 15.5% in the northern part of Ethiopia (36) to 37.4% in southwest Ethiopia (39).…”

Magnitude of central obesity and associated factors among adults working in government offices in Bedele town, Buno Bedele zone, Southwest Ethiopia

“…This is consistent with the findings of the study done in Ethiopia (Nekemte town), South Africa, Uganda, and Tanzania. 20 , 21 , 47 , 48 This is due to the hormonal changes at the time of menopause, and fat that is regained after the postpartum period relatively, which is stored more in the central part of the body; additionally, the cultural way of comforting women after giving birth, especially in Ethiopia, are the reasons that will cause women to be the centrally obesity population. The other possible reason for this variation in prevalence could be that females have more steroid hormones which expose them to obesity; 42 the use of hormonal contraceptives are other possible factors.…”