OBJECTIVE: To describe body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and waist-hip ratio in a Palestinian West Bank village population, and to assess the associations of these variables to blood pressure and serum lipids. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Community-based study in a prototypic semi-rural Palestinian village in the central West Bank. SUBJECTS: All individuals aged 30-65 y in the study village were invited for the study and 500 (85%) participated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: BMI > or = 30 was used as the measure of obesity. RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity was 37.5% among women and 18.8% among men. The prevalence of abdominal obesity was 62.5% among women and 14.8% among men. BMI seemed to be the more important correlate of blood pressure whereas waist-hip ratio seemed to be the more important correlate of serum triglycerides, compared to the other obesity measures. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of obesity in the study population was very high compared to most other countries in the world, particularly among women. SPONSORSHIP: The study was funded by the Norwegian Universities' Committee for Development Research (NUFU). LCM Stene was supported by a grant from the Throne Holst Foundation.
OBJECTIVE: To describe body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and waist-hip ratio in a Palestinian West Bank village population, and to assess the associations of these variables to blood pressure and serum lipids. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Community-based study in a prototypic semi-rural Palestinian village in the central West Bank. SUBJECTS: All individuals aged 30-65 y in the study village were invited for the study and 500 (85%) participated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: BMI > or = 30 was used as the measure of obesity. RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity was 37.5% among women and 18.8% among men. The prevalence of abdominal obesity was 62.5% among women and 14.8% among men. BMI seemed to be the more important correlate of blood pressure whereas waist-hip ratio seemed to be the more important correlate of serum triglycerides, compared to the other obesity measures. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of obesity in the study population was very high compared to most other countries in the world, particularly among women. SPONSORSHIP: The study was funded by the Norwegian Universities' Committee for Development Research (NUFU). LCM Stene was supported by a grant from the Throne Holst Foundation.
Authors: S Yavuz Sanisoglu; Cagatay Oktenli; Adnan Hasimi; Mehmet Yokusoglu; Mehmet Ugurlu Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2006-04-10 Impact factor: 3.295