Epidemiological investigation of overweight and obesity in population aged 40 years or older in Nanjing City

Objective To explore the epidemiological characteristics of overweight and obesity among a community-based population aged 40 years or older in Nanjing City, and to analyze the prevalence of metabolic diseases in obesity. Methods Residents aged 40-79 years were recruited from 6 communities in Nanjing City by random sampling method. Data were collected through questionnaire interview, physical examination and laboratory testing. A total of 9 696 participants were eligible for the study. After exclusion of 334 individuals for whom demographic information were incomplete, 9 362 subjects were included in the final analysis. There were 3 204 males(34.2%) and 6 158 females (65.8%). In accordance with the criteria from Guidelines for Prevention and Control of Overweight and Obesity in Chinese Adults, obesity was defined as body mass index≥28.0 kg/m2, while overweight as 24.0-27.9 kg/m2. The rates of overweight and obesity in different gender and age groups were analyzed. Results The rate of overweight was 41.0%. Male had a higher rate of overweight than female (43.91% vs. 39.48%, χ2=17.01, P 0.05). The lower educated population had higher rates of obesity compared with the higher educated (χ2=47.95, P<0.001). Compared with those of normal weight, the prevalence rates of diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesteremia, hypertriglyceridemia, elevated low density lipoprotein cholesterol and lower high density lipoprotein cholesterol had increased significantly among obese population (χ2=42.02, 641.88, 9.58, 236.08, 13.24, 138.82, respectively, all P<0.001). Conclusions Overweight and obesity are prevalent in residents aged 40 years or older in Nanjing City. Prevalence rates of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia have increased significantly in obese population. Key words: Overweight; Obesity; Metabolic disease; Body mass index; Prevalence rate