Prevalence of Central Obesity among Adult Patients Attending Merjan Medical City, Babylon Province, Iraq

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Family and Community Department, College of Medicine, University of Babylon, Babylon, Iraq

2 Family and Community Medicine Department, College of Medicine, Al-Nahrain University. Baghdad, Iraq

3 College of Medicine, Babylon University, Babylon, Iraqaq

10.30476/ijns.2025.108128.1546

Abstract

Background: Central obesity is linked to metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, and death that makes it more dangerous than general obesity. Waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio are greater health risk predictors when compared to body mass index (BMI) alone, making them essential in diagnosis. Its rising incidence, caused by lifestyle and nutritional changes, highlights the need for early identification and focused therapy. The aim of study was to assess the prevalence of central obesity among adult patients attending Merjan Medical City, Babylon Province in Iraq.
Methods: In a cross-sectional research in Merjan Medical City, Iraq, 153 patients were assessed for BMI and central obesity using World Health Organization (WHO) BMI and WC classifications. Demographic and health data were determined by direct interview. A WC>94 cm for men and >80 cm for women was deemed central obesity.
Results: The study population had a very high prevalence of central obesity (65.4%), which was significantly correlated with older age groups, female gender, chronic conditions, and higher BMI categories (p<0.001 and p=0.0001, respectively). BMI showed a strong association with WC, while 76.4% of the populations were overweight or obese. Metabolic risk factors, age, and male sex increased the likelihood of central obesity.
Conclusion: Central obesity was shown to be common and linked to a higher BMI, feminine gender, older age, and chronic illnesses. Its rising BMI showed the relationship between abdominal fat and obesity. These findings suggest that health risk assessments and focused therapies should include central obesity in the area.

Keywords

References

  1. Powell-Wiley TM, Poirier P, Burke LE, et al. American Heart Association Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health; Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; Council on Clinical Cardiology; Council on Epidemiology and Prevention; and Stroke Council. Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2021;143:e984-e1010. DOI: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000973. PMID: 33882682.
  2. Zare P, Sohrabi Z, Haghighat N, et al. Changes in Ferritin and Hemoglobin Levels in Obese Patients before and after Bariatric Surgery: A Cohort Study. Int J Nutr Sci. 2024;9:101-108. DOI: 10.30476/IJNS.2024.101242.1294.
  3. Piqueras P, Ballester A, Durá-Gil JV, et al. Anthropometric Indicators as a Tool for Diagnosis of Obesity and Other Health Risk Factors: A Literature Review. Front Psychol. 2021;12:631179. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631179. PMID: 34305707.
  4. Khandouzi M, Haghighat N, Zare M, et al. Anthropometric, Body Composition, and Biochemical Measurements in Morbidly Obese Patients Prior to Bariatric Surgery. Int J Nutr Sci. 2023;8:223-232. DOI: 10.30476/IJNS.2023.99727.1253.
  1. Mehrdad M, Eftekhari MH. Concerns on Obesity during COVID-19 Pandemic. Int J Nutr Sci. 2021;6:111-112. DOI: 10.30476/IJNS.2021.90311.1125.
  2. Shahriari S, Eftekhari MH, Jeddi M. The Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation in Overweight or Obese Type 2 Diabetic Patients with Vitamin D Deficiency and Dyslipidemia. Int J Nutr Sci. 2018;3:185-191.
  3. Wong MCS, Huang J, Wang J, et al. Global, regional and time-trend prevalence of central obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 13.2 million subjects. Eur J Epidemiol. 2020;35:673-683. DOI: 10.1007/s10654-020-00650-3. PMID: 32448986.
  4. Sebeta A, Tekalign E, Yosef T. Central obesity and its associated factors among adults in Southwest Ethiopia. Clin Epidemiol Global Health. 2024;28:101644. DOI: 10.1016/j.cegh.2024.101664
  5. Abdollahzadeh SM, Mosallanejad AH, Babajafari S, et al. Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome among Hospital Staff of Khalili Hospital, Shiraz, Iran. Int J Nutr Sci. 2017;2:196-202.
  6. Afshin A, Forouzanfar MH, Reitsma MB, et al. Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity in 195 Countries over 25 Years. N Engl J Med. 2017;377:13-27. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1614362. PMID: 28604169.
  7. Heymsfield SB, Peterson CM, Thomas DM, et al. Why are there race/ethnic differences in adult body mass index-adiposity relationships? A quantitative critical review. Obes Rev. 2016;17:262-75. DOI: 10.1111/obr.12358. PMID: 26663309.
  8. Akbarzadeh M, Almasi-Hashiani A, Farahmand M. The Prevalence of Risk Factors of Non-Communicable Diseases in Fars Province. Int J Nutr Sci. 2016;1:23-29.
  9. Sweatt K, Garvey WT, Martins C. Strengths and Limitations of BMI in the Diagnosis of Obesity: What is the Path Forward? Curr Obes Rep. 2024;13:584-595. DOI: 10.1007/s13679-024-00580-1. PMID: 38958869.
  10. Feng WY, Li XD, Li J, et al. Prevalence and Risk Factors of Central Obesity among Adults with Normal BMI in Shaanxi, China: A Cross-Sectional Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18:11439. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182111439. PMID: 34769955.
  11. Zierle-Ghosh A, Jan A. Physiology, Body Mass Index. 2023. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024. PMID: 30571077.
  12. Xi B, Zong X, Kelishadi R, et al. International Waist Circumference Percentile Cutoffs for Central Obesity in Children and Adolescents Aged 6 to 18 Years. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2020;105:e1569-83. DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgz195. PMID: 31723976.
  13. Khademolhosseini F, Mehrabani D, Zare N, et al. Prevalence Of Dyspepsia And Its Correlation With Demographic Factors And Lifestyle In Shiraz, Southern Iran. Middle East J Dig Dis. 2010;2:24-30. PMID: 25197509.
  14. Pengpid S, Peltzer K. Overweight and Obesity among Adults in Iraq: Prevalence and Correlates from a National Survey in 2015. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18:4198. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18084198. PMID: 33921006.
  15. Jin X, Qiu T, Li L, et al. Pathophysiology of obesity and its associated diseases. Acta Pharm Sin B. 2023;13:2403-2424. DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2023.01.012. PMID: 37425065.
  16. Tzeravini E, Anastasios T, Alexander K, et al. Diet induced thermogenesis, older and newer data with emphasis on obesity and diabetes mellitus - A narrative review. Metabol Open. 2024;22:100291. DOI: 10.1016/j.metop.2024.100291. PMID: 38957623.
  17. Sajjadi SF, Mirzababaei A, Abdollahi A, et al. The association between deficiency of nutrient intake and resting metabolic rate in overweight and obese women: a cross-sectional study. BMC Res Notes. 2021;14:179. DOI: 10.1186/s13104-021-05582-z. PMID: 33980283.
  18. Guthold R, Stevens GA, Riley LM, et al. Global trends in insufficient physical activity among adolescents: a pooled analysis of 298 population-based surveys with 16 million participants. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2020;4:23-35. DOI: 10.1016/S2352-4642(19)30323-2. PMID: 31761562.
  19. Hardy LL, Xu J, Guo CZ, et al. 30-year cross-sectional trends in waist-to-height ratio in Australian school age children; 1985 to 2015. Acta Paediatr. 2018;108:707-711. DOI: 10.1111/apa.14565. PMID: 30187525.
  20. Muscogiuri G, Verde L, Vetrani C, et al. Obesity: a gender-view. J Endocrinol Invest. 2024;47:299-306. DOI: 10.1007/s40618-023-02196-z. PMID: 37740888.
  21. Azizi F, Salehi P, Etemadi A, et al. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in an urban population: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2003;61:29-37. DOI: 10.1016/s0168-8227(03)00066-4. PMID: 12849921.
  22. WHO. WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000–2025. 3rd ed. 2019. https://www.who.int/publications-detail/who-global-report-on-trends-in-prevalence-of-tobacco-use-2000-2025-third-edition. Accessed Mar 19, 2020.
  23. Alhashemi M, Mayo W, Alshaghel MM, et al. Prevalence of obesity and its association with fast-food consumption and physical activity: A cross-sectional study and review of medical students' obesity rate. Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2022;79:104007. DOI: 10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104007. PMID: 35860087.
  24. Welsh A, Hammad M, Piña IL, et al. Obesity and cardiovascular health. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2024;31:1026-1035. DOI: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwae025. PMID: 38243826.
  25. Ueno K, Kaneko H, Kamiya K, et al. Relationship of normal-weight central obesity with the risk for heart failure and atrial fibrillation: analysis of a nationwide health check-up and claims database. Eur Heart J Open. 2022;2:oeac026. DOI: 10.1093/ehjopen/oeac026. PMID: 35919350.
  26. Preda A, Carbone F, Tirandi A, et al. Obesity phenotypes and cardiovascular risk: From pathophysiology to clinical management. Rev Endocr Metab Disord. 2023;24:901-919. DOI: 10.1007/s11154-023-09813-5. PMID: 37358728.
  27. Prasad DS, Kabir Z, Dash AK, et al. Abdominal obesity, an independent cardiovascular risk factor in Indian subcontinent: A clinico epidemiological evidence summary. J Cardiovasc Dis Res. 2011;2:199-205. DOI: 10.4103/0975-3583.89803. PMID: 22135477.
  28. Aghasadeghi K, Zarei-Nezhad M, Keshavarzi A, et al. The Prevalence of Coronary Risk Factors In Iranian Lor Migrating Tribe. Arch Iran Med. 2008;11:322-325. PMID: 18426325.
  29. Masoumi SJ, Mehrabani D, Moradi F, et al. The prevalence of dyspepsia symptoms and its correlation with the quality of life among Qashqai Turkish migrating nomads in Fars Province, southern Iran. Pak J Med Sci. 2015;31:325-330. DOI: 10.12669/pjms.312.6956. PMID: 26101484.
  30. Masoumi SJ, Khademolhosseini F, Mehrabani D, et al. Correlation Of Quality Of Life With Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Amongst Qashqai Nomads In Iran. Arch Iran Med. 2012;15:47-50. PMID: 23199245.
  31. Klein S, Allison DB, Heymsfield SB, et al. Association for Weight Management and Obesity Prevention; NAASO, The Obesity Society; American Society for Nutrition; American Diabetes Association. Waist circumference and cardiometabolic risk: a consensus statement from Shaping America's Health: Association for Weight Management and Obesity Prevention; NAASO, The Obesity Society; the American Society for Nutrition; and the American Diabetes Association. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;85:1197-202. DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/85.5.1197. PMID: 17490953.
  32. Harnischfeger F, Dando R. Obesity-induced taste dysfunction, and its implications for dietary intake. Int J Obes (Lond). 2021;45:1644-1655. DOI: 10.1038/s41366-021-00855-w. PMID: 34031530.
International Journal of Nutrition Sciences

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 16 August 2026

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics