Anthropometrics, Awareness, Prevalence and Pattern of Obesity in Nigerian Type 2 Diabetic patients

Abstract

The University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu was used for the study. One hundred and thirty six Type 2 diabetic patients who attended the Diabetes clinic for the first time between Jan 1997 and Jan 1999 as well as 100 controls were assessed. Patients and controls had their BMI, waist circumference and Waist/ hip ratio (WHR) measured. They also responded to a questionnaire on awareness of obesity. The diabetic patients were made up of 60 females and 76 males while the controls were 50 males and 50 females. Prevalence of obesity among the diabetics was 11% (13/136). 76/136 (55%) of diabetic patients were overweight. Abdominal obesity was present in 30/136 (22.8 %) of diabetics. Forty nine out of 89 obese or overweight diabetics (55%) did not consider themselves overweight. Thirty five out of 57 obese or overweight controls (61%) did not consider themselves overweight. Only 50% of both diabetics and controls knew that obesity was a health hazard. There was no statistical difference between the diabetics and control with regards to awareness of the health hazards of obesity (p > 0.05). The prevalence of obesity was 11%.and central obesity 22.8% in the cohort of diabetic patients studied. Central obesity was commoner among the diabetic females. The majority of overweight and obese diabetic patients and controls did not consider themselves overweight. Only 50% of the study population was aware of the health hazards of obesity. These findings have far-reaching implications for primary and secondary prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus and other health conditions for which obesity is a risk factor.