Sociodemographic and behavioural factors associated with body mass index among men and women in Nairobi slums: AWI-Gen Project

Multilevel factors associated with overweight and obesity in East Africa: Comparative analysis in five countries from 2003 to 2016

Rising rates of overweight/obesity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are a growing concern. Regional analysis of sociodemographic factors associated with overweight/obesity, as is common, may mask nationally specific associations. We examine the spatiotemporal trends of overweight/obesity in women (15-49 years) using 13 years of data (2003-2016) from Demographic and Health Surveys in five East African countries. Multivariable logistic regression reveals that urbanization and individual education, wealth, employment, marital status, and age are linked to overweight/obesity in the region, but their influence varied between nations. Variations in sociodemographic risk factors across nations underscore the need for tailored surveillance and interventions to address the increasing burden of overweight/obesity in East Africa.

Perceptions of diabetes risk and prevention in Nairobi, Kenya: A qualitative and theory of change development study

BACKGROUND

Type 2 diabetes is increasing in Kenya, especially in urban settings, and prevention interventions based on local evidence and context are urgently needed. Therefore, this study aimed to explore diabetes risk and co-create a diabetes prevention theory of change in two socioeconomically distinct communities to inform future diabetes prevention interventions.

METHODS

In-depth interviews were conducted with middle-aged residents in two communities in Nairobi (one low-income (n = 15), one middle-income (n = 14)), and thematically analysed. The theory of change for diabetes prevention was informed by analysis of the in-depth interviews and the Behaviour Change Wheel framework, and reviewed by a sub-set (n = 13) of interviewees.

RESULTS

The key factors that influenced diabetes preventive practices in both communities included knowledge and skills for diabetes prevention, understanding of the benefits/consequences of (un)healthy lifestyle, social influences (e.g., upbringing, societal perceptions), and environmental contexts (e.g., access to (un)healthy foods and physical activity facilities). The proposed strategies for diabetes prevention included: increasing knowledge and understanding about diabetes risk and preventive measures particularly in the low-income community; supporting lifestyle modification (e.g., upskilling, goal setting, action planning) in both communities; identifying people at high risk of diabetes through screening in both communities; and creating social and physical environments for lifestyle modification (e.g., positive social influences on healthy living, access to healthy foods and physical activity infrastructure) particularly in the low-income community. Residents from both communities agreed that the strategies were broadly feasible for diabetes prevention but proposed the addition of door-to-door campaigns and community theatre for health education. However, residents from the low-income community were concerned about the lack of government prioritisation for implementing population-level interventions, e.g., improving access to healthy foods and physical activity facilities/infrastructure.

CONCLUSION

Diabetes prevention initiatives in Kenya should involve multicomponent interventions for lifestyle modification including increasing education and upskilling at individual level; promoting social and physical environments that support healthy living at population level; and are particularly needed in low-income communities.

Prevalence and demographic risk factors for overweight and obesity among healthcare workers at Uasin Gishu County hospital, Kenya

Background

Healthcare workers are under continual pressure to be an example to the public on Body Mass Index (BMI). While prior studies have focused on the general population, data on overweight and obesity is limited among healthcare workers.

Objective

This study aimed at determining the prevalence of and demographic risk factors associated with overweight and obesity among healthcare workers.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was done on healthcare workers aged 20 years and above comprehensively sampled in Uasin Gishu County hospital. A WHO step-wise questionnaire and anthropometric measurements were used to collect data and logistic regression was performed among variables.

Results

The mean age and BMI were 36.96±9.96 years and 27.18±5.04 respectively. 63.4% of respondents had their BMI above 25 kg/m2, 35% were overweight and 28.4% were obese. Females were more likely to become overweight and obese than males with an odds ratio [OR] of 2.8 (95% confidence interval [Cl] = 1.3-6.0, P = 0.008). Age, education and physical activity were found related to BMI and gender was found to be associated with BMI.

Conclusion

High prevalence of obesity among healthcare workers is of concern, especially on the issue of central obesity. Intervention among the health workers should be considered.

A systematic review of substance use and substance use disorder research in Kenya

Objectives

The burden of substance use in Kenya is significant. The objective of this study was to systematically summarize existing literature on substance use in Kenya, identify research gaps, and provide directions for future research.

Methods

This systematic review was conducted in line with the PRISMA guidelines. We conducted a search of 5 bibliographic databases (PubMed, PsychINFO, Web of Science, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Professionals (CINAHL) and Cochrane Library) from inception until 20 August 2020. In addition, we searched all the volumes of the official journal of the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol & Drug Abuse (the African Journal of Alcohol and Drug Abuse). The results of eligible studies have been summarized descriptively and organized by three broad categories including: studies evaluating the epidemiology of substance use, studies evaluating interventions and programs, and qualitative studies exploring various themes on substance use other than interventions. The quality of the included studies was assessed with the Quality Assessment Tool for Studies with Diverse Designs.

Results

Of the 185 studies that were eligible for inclusion, 144 investigated the epidemiology of substance use, 23 qualitatively explored various substance use related themes, and 18 evaluated substance use interventions and programs. Key evidence gaps emerged. Few studies had explored the epidemiology of hallucinogen, prescription medication, ecstasy, injecting drug use, and emerging substance use. Vulnerable populations such as pregnant women, and persons with physical disability had been under-represented within the epidemiological and qualitative work. No intervention study had been conducted among children and adolescents. Most interventions had focused on alcohol to the exclusion of other prevalent substances such as tobacco and cannabis. Little had been done to evaluate digital and population-level interventions.

Conclusion

The results of this systematic review provide important directions for future substance use research in Kenya.

Systematic review registration

PROSPERO: CRD42020203717.

Profile of Obesity and Comorbidities and their Correlation among Hemodialysis Patients, Elbasan

INTRODUCTION: Nowadays, obesity is an enormous problem in the public health of undeveloped countries and developing countries. Being overweight, especially obesity in internal organs contributes to increased risk of metabolic and cardiovascular complications in patients with chronic kidney disease. There is no complete data available in our country on the correlation between obesity and comorbidity diseases among persons undergoing dialysis. So we do not know how BMI affects Diabetic or Cardio Vascular Disease (CVD) patients among dialysis patients. We, therefore, undertook this study to evaluate the association of obesity with mobility in hemodialysis patients at the Elbasan dialysis center. METHODOLOGY: This cross-sectional study was performed in 160 patients who have undergone the dialysis process at Elbasan Dialysis Center for three years (2016-2018). A standardized questionnaire was adopted to obtain data from all patients. The subjects were divided a priory into 4 categories based on the body mass index (BMI) (underweight <19, normal 19-25, pre-obese 25-30 and obese ≥30 kg/m2). Software SPSS version 20.0 is used to analyze and evaluate the data. Kaplan-Meier estimate were used to find the correlation between BMI with their prognostic abilities like cardiovascular disease and Diabetes Mellitus Type 2. We have considered statistically significant every p value less than 0.05. RESULT: Over all 160 patients, the men presented the highest number of cases compared to female 73.1% and 26.9% respectively. The mean age resulted 52.7 ± 15.6 years and age groups 50-59 years old and 60-69 years old with 29.4% and 34.3% respectively were the most frequent in this study. About the category of BMI index 8.8% patients resulted underweight, 45% were in normal weight, 28.2% were pre-obese and 6.6% were obese. We observed significant correlations between BMI and some of the demographic data such as: gender, age, place of residence, educational level, smoking and alcohol consumption for p <0.05. Changes in patient survival rates between BMI with DMT2 and cardiovascular disease are not statistically significant (long range p> 0.05). In terms of mortality, a strong significant correlation was observed with the age of 50-69 years and with the index of hemoglobin, urea and creatinine after dialysis with p value <0.05. CONCLUSION: In the paradoxical epidemiology, the overweight becomes chronic on hemodialysis patients and serves as a protective factor which is associated with better survival, but we weren`t found significant association between the BMI and some of the variables analyzed. This study presents a small number of chronic patients on hemodialysis center in Elbasan city. There is a need to better understand the reverse epidemiological causes in individuals on dialysis, which can help us improve the poor outcome in this population.

Prevalence of Underweight, Overweight and Obesity among Adults in Urban Bissau, Western Africa

Overweight and obesity affect a large proportion of the population and are important causes of death in both developed and low- and middle-income countries. In Guinea-Bissau, there are no previous population-based studies assessing this phenomenon. Therefore, we aimed to quantify the prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity among adults in Bissau. A stratified and cluster sample of 935 adults was assembled in 2021 and was evaluated using standardized questionnaires and anthropometric measurements, following the World Health Organization Stepwise Approach to Chronic Disease Risk Factor Surveillance. Underweight, obesity, and overweight were defined by body mass index based on the World Health Organization definitions. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 48.7% among women and 25.0% among men. The proportion of women with abdominal obesity was 14 times higher than it was in men (35.3% vs. 2.5%). The prevalence of overweight and obesity increased with age and income. Underweight was more prevalent in the age group of 18 to 24 years (18.4% in women and 28.9% in men) and was less frequent among individuals with higher socioeconomic status. In conclusion, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is similar to the trends that are observed in many other urbanized populations in Africa and is already a major public health issue in urban Guinea-Bissau.

Wealth index and other behavioral and sociodemographic characteristics associated with body mass index in Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

Nowadays, the burden of non-communicable diseases including obesity has been an increasing public health concern. This menace can be monitored using indexing method like body mass index. Studies indicate that socioeconomic indicators such as income, biology, behavior, and demographic factors associated with body mass index. In Ethiopia, few studies associate wealth index with body mass index in people of ages between 15 and 49. This study was aimed to assess the association of body mass index with wealth index, and behavioral and sociodemographic population characteristics.

METHODS

A cross-sectional population-based study was conducted using the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey population of ages 15-49. A total of 10,245 individuals were considered to detect the effect of socioeconomic, biological, behavioral, and demographic factors on body mass index using logistic regression.

RESULTS

The prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity among men are 23.8%, 6.6%, and 2.0%, respectively, which is lower than that of women (underweight 25.3%, overweight 9.1%, and obesity 2.9%). The poorest men had higher odds of being underweight (adjusted odds ratio = 2.395%; 95% confidence interval = 2.020-3.544) as compared to the richest men. Merchants and government employees have lower odds (adjusted odds ratio = 0.744; 95% confidence interval = 0.588-0.899) compared to men whose occupation is farming and labor, indicating that merchants and government employees are more likely to become overweight and obese compared to men who are farmers and laborers.

CONCLUSION

It is concluded that wealth index is an important socioeconomic determinant of body mass index among men and women of age 15-49 in Ethiopia. A high prevalence of underweight, and overweight, and obesity is observed, which increases instances of non-communicable diseases. Effects of socioeconomic, biological, behavioral, and demographic indicators on body mass index differed according to sex.

The prevalence and associated factors of underweight and overweight/obesity among adults in Kenya: evidence from a national cross-sectional community survey

INTRODUCTION

the study aimed to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with underweight and overweight or obesity in an adult population in Kenya.

METHODS

data from a cross-sectional nationally representative community-based study in Kenya (N=4283, 18-69 years) conducted in 2015 was utilized. Assessments included anthropometric, interview, blood pressure and biochemistry mesures. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the determinants of underweight and overweight or obesity relative to normal weight.

RESULTS

in all, 11.9% of the study sample was underweight (BMI <18.5kg/m2), 60.1% had normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9kg/m2), 18.9% overweight (25.0-29.9kg/m2) and 9.1% obesity (BMI ≥30.0kg/m2). In adjusted multinomial logistic regression, male sex (adjusted relative risk ratio-ARRR: 1.47, confidence interval-CI: 1.01, 2.13), lower education (ARRR: 0.63, CI: 0.46, 0.88), lower wealth status (ARRR: 0.47, CI: 0.29, 0.78), inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption (ARRR: 1.79, CI: 1.19, 2.70), adding daily sugar into beverages (ARRR: 1.49, CI: 1.01, 2.22) and having no hypertension (ARRR: 0.54, CI: 0.40, 0.74) were associated with underweight. Factors associated with overweight or obesity were middle and older age (ARRR: 2.15, CI: 1.46, 3.80), being female (ARRR: 0.30, CI: 0.22, 0.41), higher education (ARRR: 1.61, CI: 1.26, 2.24), greater wealth (ARRR: 2.38, CI: 1.41, 3.50), being a Kikuyu by ethnic group (ARRR: 1.68, CI: 1.19, 2.37), urban residence (ARRR: 1.45, CI: 1.06, 1.99), no current tobacco use (ARRR: 0.39, CI: 0.24, 0.54), low physical activity (ARRR: 1.49, CI: 1.02, 2.18) and having hypertension (ARRR: 1.96, CI: 1.54, 2.50).

CONCLUSION

more than one in ten were underweight and almost three in ten were overweight or obese among adults in Kenya. Several risk factors, including sociodemographic, lifestyle and health status risk variables, were identified for underweight and overweight or obesity, which can assist in developing intervention strategies targeting both these conditions.

Prevention of cardiovascular disease among people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa

As longevity has increased for people living with HIV (PLWH) in the United States and Europe, there has been a concomitant increase in the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and morbidity in this population. Whereas the availability of HIV antiretroviral therapy has resulted in dramatic increases in life expectancy in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where over two thirds of PLWH reside, if and how these trends impact the epidemiology of CVD is less clear. In this review, we describe the current state of the science on how both HIV and its treatment impact CVD risk factors and outcomes among PLWH in sub-Saharan Africa, including regional factors (unique to SSA) likely to differentiate these relationships from the global North. We then outline how current regional guidelines address CVD prevention among PLWH and which clinical and structural interventions are best poised to confront the co-epidemics of HIV and CVD in the region. We conclude with a discussion of key research gaps that need to be addressed to optimally develop an actionable public health response.

The Burden of Overweight and Obesity among Long-Distance Truckers in Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

Abnormal body mass index (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m²) has become a major global public health problem which is rising at a faster rate in urban areas of low- and middle-income countries. In Ethiopia, the prevalence gradually increases. Long-distance truckers are at a high risk of developing overweight or obesity due to the sedentary nature of their job. Despite these populations at a high risk of developing overweight/obesity such as drivers elsewhere, pieces of data that showed the prevalence and contributing factors of overweight and obesity among long-distance truckers in Ethiopia are not yet available.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the prevalence and contributing factors of overweight and obesity among long-distance truckers in Ethiopia.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 systematically selected truckers at Modjo dry port in Ethiopia from February to March, 2018. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. The final results were presented in tables and numerical summary measures such as mean and standard deviation (SD).

RESULTS

Of the 400 truckers interviewed, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was 56.5%, 95% CI (51.6%-61.4%). The study also found that a monthly income ≥220 USD (AOR = 1.83, 95% CI (1.05-3.18)), having 3 or more family sizes (AOR = 2.24, 95% CI (1.15-4.36)), less than 6 hours of sleep at night (AOR = 3.34, 95% CI (1.99-5.78)), driving for 9 or more hours daily (AOR = 2.29, 95% CI (1.09-4.81)), and a truck driving experience of 10 or more years (AOR = 2.13, 95% CI (1.29-4.18)) were significantly associated with overweight and obesity.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of overweight and obesity was substantially high. The study also found that sociodemographic and occupational factors are mainly associated with overweight and obesity. Therefore, a health education program should be designed for awareness creation on the importance of reducing a sedentary lifestyle, consuming healthy foods or drinks, and having regular physical exercise to mitigate the problem.

Prevalence and factors associated with overweight and obesity among rural and urban women in Burkina Faso

Introduction

Low- and middle-income countries, including Burkina Faso, are facing increasing urbanization with health challenges related to nutrition transition that impact body weight change. This study reported the prevalence and factors associated with overweight/obesity among women living in rural and urban Burkina Faso.

Methods

We conducted a secondary analysis using data from the Burkina Faso 2013 WHO STEPwise survey. Data included socio-demographic, clinical (anthropometric, systolic/diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP), oral/dental symptoms), biological (total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and fasting blood sugar), and alcohol and tobacco consumption data. A total of 2191 participants with complete data were considered in the analysis. We categorized the 13 Burkinabe regions by urbanization rate quartiles. We then performed Student's t, chi-squared, and Fisher's exact tests and backward stepwise regressions.

Results

The overall prevalence of overweight/obesity was 19.6% (13.1% and 44% in rural and urban women respectively, p=0.0001). Common factors positively associated with overweight/obesity in both rural and urban women were being a resident of a region in the highest urbanization rate quartile, having a high level of total cholesterol (alone or via an interaction with age) and having a high DBP. In urban women only, overweight/obesity was also associated with a high SBP.

Conclusion

The prevalence of overweight/obesity in urban women in Burkina was among the highest levels in urban sub-Saharan Africa and roughly mimicked the urbanization profile of the country. In overweight/obesity conditions, cardiovascular concerns, such as increase in total cholesterol and blood pressure, were objective, and the blood pressure increase was more severe in urban women than in rural women.

Regional and sex-specific variation in BMI distribution in four sub-Saharan African countries: The H3Africa AWI-Gen study

Background: African populations are characterised by diversity at many levels including: demographic history, genetic ancestry, language, wealth, socio-political landscape, culture and behaviour. Several of these have a profound impact on body fat mass. Obesity, a key risk factor for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, in the wake of the epidemiological and health transitions across the continent, requires detailed analysis together with other major risk factors.

Objective: To compare regional and sex-specific body mass index (BMI) distributions, using a cross-sectional study design, in adults aged 40–60 years across six study sites in four sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries and to compare the determinants of BMI at each.

Methods: Anthropometric measurements were standardised across sites and BMI calculated. Median BMI and prevalence of underweight, lean, overweight and obesity were compared between the sexes and across sites. Data from multivariable linear regression models for the principal determinants of BMI were summarised from the site-specific studies.

Results: BMI was calculated in 10,702 participants (55% female) and was significantly higher in women than men at nearly all sites. The highest prevalence of obesity was observed at the three South African sites (42.3–66.6% in women and 2.81–17.5% in men) and the lowest in West Africa (1.25–4.22% in women and 1.19–2.20% in men). Across sites, higher socio-economic status and educational level were associated with higher BMI. Being married and increased dietary intake were associated with higher BMI in some communities, whilst smoking and alcohol intake were associated with lower BMI, as was HIV infection in the regions where it was prevalent.

Conclusion: In SSA there is a marked variation in the prevalence of obesity both regionally and between men and women. Our data suggest that the drive for social upliftment within Africa will be associated with rising levels of obesity, which will require the initiation of targeted sex-specific intervention programmes across specific African communities.

The relationship between prevalence and severity of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), and body mass index and mid-abdominal circumference in men in a resource-poor community in Southeast Nigeria: a cross-sectional survey

Background

There is paucity of information on the community-based prevalence and severity of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men who are 40 years and older in the southeast region of Nigeria. This study seeks to determine the community-based prevalence of LUTS and the relationship between LUTS, and body mass index (BMI) and mid-abdominal circumference (MAC) in men.

Methods

An interviewer-administered, questionnaire-based survey. Three of nine settlement clusters were randomly selected while systematic random sampling of 1 in 3 eligible subjects was used to select participants. Analysis was done using SPSS® version 20.

Results

One thousand three hundred and nineteen duly completed questionnaires were analyzed. The respondents are within ages 40-92 years with mean age 54.2 ± 10.2 years, mean BMI 25.97 ± 4.18Kg/m² and mean MAC 89.80 ± 12.43 cm. Overall prevalence of LUTS is 20.2%. Nocturia at a prevalence of 19.2% is the most prevalent lower urinary tract symptom and also the earliest to manifest. LUTS prevalence and severity increases with increasing age. About 9.6% report moderate LUTS while 2.3% report severe LUTS. Storage LUTS are reported more frequently than voiding LUTS. LUTS did not vary significantly with BMI, MAC or Wealth-Index.

Conclusion

LUTS prevalence and severity vary with age, but not with BMI, MAC or Wealth-Index.

Genomic and environmental risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases in Africa: methods used for Phase 1 of the AWI-Gen population cross-sectional study

There is an alarming tide of cardiovascular and metabolic disease (CMD) sweeping across Africa. This may be a result of an increasingly urbanized lifestyle characterized by the growing consumption of processed and calorie-dense food, combined with physical inactivity and more sedentary behaviour. While the link between lifestyle and public health has been extensively studied in Caucasian and African American populations, few studies have been conducted in Africa. This paper describes the detailed methods for Phase 1 of the AWI-Gen study that were used to capture phenotype data and assess the associated risk factors and end points for CMD in persons over the age of 40 years in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We developed a population-based cross-sectional study of disease burden and phenotype in Africans, across six centres in SSA. These centres are in West Africa (Nanoro, Burkina Faso, and Navrongo, Ghana), in East Africa (Nairobi, Kenya) and in South Africa (Agincourt, Dikgale and Soweto). A total of 10,702 individuals between the ages of 40 and 60 years were recruited into the study across the six centres, plus an additional 1021 participants over the age of 60 years from the Agincourt centre. We collected socio-demographic, anthropometric, medical history, diet, physical activity, fat distribution and alcohol/tobacco consumption data from participants. Blood samples were collected for disease-related biomarker assays, and genomic DNA extraction for genome-wide association studies. Urine samples were collected to assess kidney function. The study provides base-line data for the development of a series of cohorts with a second wave of data collection in Phase 2 of the study. These data will provide valuable insights into the genetic and environmental influences on CMD on the African continent.

Determinants of body mass index by gender in the Dikgale Health and Demographic Surveillance System site, South Africa

BACKGROUND

The study was conducted in the Dikgale Health and Demographic Surveillance System (DHDSS) site where we have observed increasing obesity levels, particularly in women, despite evidence of high physical activity (PA) and a relatively low daily energy intake.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess the socio-demographic, behavioural and biological determinants of body mass index (BMI) in adult residents permanently residing in the DHDSS.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in which socio-demographic, behavioural and biological characteristics from 1143 participants (aged 40-60 years) were collected using a paper questionnaire and standard anthropometric measures. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing was performed on all participants except those who indicated that they had tested positive. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests were used to analyze categorical and continuous variables, respectively, while hierarchical multivariate regression was used to analyze predictors of BMI.

RESULTS

The median age of women and men was 51 (46-56) and 50 (45-55) years, respectively. The prevalence of overweight-obesity was 76% in women and 21% in men. A significant negative association of BMI with HIV and smoking and a significant positive association with socio-economic status (SES) was observed in both sexes. In women, BMI was negatively associated with sleep duration (p = 0.015) and age (p = 0.012), but positively associated with sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) (p = 0.08). In men, BMI was negatively associated with alcohol use (p = 0.016) and positively associated with being married (p < 0.001). PA was not associated with BMI in either sexes. Full models explained 9.2% and 20% of the variance in BMI in women and men, respectively.

CONCLUSION

BMI in DHDSS adults is not associated with physical inactivity but is associated wealth, marital status, sleep, smoking, alcohol use, and HIV status. Future studies should explore the contribution of nutrition, stunting, psycho-social and genetic factors to overweight and obesity in DHDSS.