Gender differences in factors associated with overweight and obesity among civil servants in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Overweight and obesity constitute global public health problems with consequences on health and productivity of workers. This study was designed to describe the gender variation in the factors associated with overweight, obesity and hypertension among civil servants in Lagos, Nigeria. This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in 280 civil servants recruited from seven local government areas in Lagos state using random sampling technique. A pre-tested, intervieweradministered questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demographic and anthropometric characteristics and blood pressure. Weight, height and waist circumference (WC) were measured using standard procedure. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test at p = 0.05. Age was 44.8 ± 8.5 years, 68.2% were males and 80.4% were married. About 64% had tertiary education; higher in males (70.7%) than females (49.4%). The crude prevalence of overweight and obesity was 70.7%. Overweight was significantly higher in males (61.7%) than females (52.3%) while obesity was significantly higher in females (47.7%) than males (38.3%). Abdominal obesity was more common in males (31.6%) than females (23.1%). Body mass index was higher in females (28.05 ± 4.9) compared to males (27.83 ± 5.8); WC was higher in females (94.6 ± 10.0) than males (93.08 ± 12.6). Obesity was predominant among civil servants aged 51 to 60 years in both gender groups. Systolic blood pressure (BP) was higher in females (124.08 ± 19.8) than males (122.4 ± 22.8) whereas diastolic BP was higher in males (84.3 ± 13.1) than females (83.7 ± 12.1). The prevalence of hypertension was 42.9%; higher in females (44.6%) than males (42.1%). Among female civil servants, overweight and obesity were significantly associated with age, education while among males they were significantly associated with grade level. Overweight, obesity and hypertension are high among civil servants; prevalence and associated factors differ by gender. Gender-sensitive public health intervention is hereby recommended to influence health behavior of civil servants.

Understanding the Relationship between Atherogenic Index of Plasma and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors among Staff of an University in Malaysia

“…In this study, a majority of the participants were overweight and obese (79.9%), and it indicated that an alarming sign of higher prevalence of obesity. It was consistent with the previous studies [29, 30] where more than half of their civil servants screened were obese. It indicated rapid urbanization and adaptation of more sedentary lifestyle leading to unhealthy outcomes.…”

“…Chai and Chee [31] in their study reported that 4 out of 15 subjects manifested with high visceral fat accumulation. Consistent with the literature, the finding reported that visceral fat percentage of men was higher (12.7%) than women (9.1%), similar to the results of the study conducted by Ajani et al [30]. …”

The prevalence and associated factors of non-communicable disease risk factors among civil servants in Ibadan, Nigeria

“…Overweight and obesity were found in more than half of the study population and was associated with increasing age and income. The prevalence rate of overweight and obesity among civil servants in Oyo State (57.3%) is similar to the rates reported among civil servants in Kaduna [ 5 ] and Abakaliki [ 32 ] but is much lower than the rate in Lagos (70.7%) which has higher socio- economic status [ 38 ]. The occurrence of overweight and obesity is partly attributable to the sedentary nature of civil service work [physical inactivity (OR = 3.82)], which is usually associated with prolonged hours of sitting, minimal energy expenditure, snacking on energy-dense foods, including sugar-sweetened beverages, and infrequent consumption of homemade foods.…”

“…The occurrence of overweight and obesity is partly attributable to the sedentary nature of civil service work [physical inactivity (OR = 3.82)], which is usually associated with prolonged hours of sitting, minimal energy expenditure, snacking on energy-dense foods, including sugar-sweetened beverages, and infrequent consumption of homemade foods. Prolonged hours of sitting has been associated with increased risk of raised blood sugar, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers [ 38 – 40 ]. Besides, fast food or restaurant prepared meals are usually calorie-dense with high levels of sugar, salt and oils to enhance the taste and induce people, for profit reasons, to consume portions in excess of their needs.…”

Pattern and determinants of overweight and obesity among adolescents

“…Obesity during adolescence has health consequences in adulthood, such as type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, severe obesity, renal dysfunction and limited mobility [10,11]. Although genes predispose an individual to obesity, so many other factors have been reported to be responsible for the increasing epidemic of obesity, among these are socio-demographic factors [12,13] and changing society, as well as the communities behavioral pattern, brought about by economy dynamics, modernization, urbanization, and globalization of food market [14,15]. As such, giving rise to preference of consuming energy-dense foods and decreased physical activity patterns, and as a consequence, energy imbalance that may result in obesity ensues [14].…”