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Trends of Waist Circumference Distribution and Abdominal Adiposity among Chinese Adults, 1993‐2004
Author(s) -
Zhang Bing,
Wang Huijun,
Du Shufa,
Zhai Fengying,
Popkin Barry M
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.866.10
Subject(s) - waist , abdominal obesity , medicine , circumference , overweight , obesity , body mass index , underweight , waist to height ratio , demography , china , geography , geometry , mathematics , sociology , archaeology
Waist circumference (WC) is a strong predictor of hypertension and other noncommunicable diseases in China. This study examines temporal trends in waist circumference and the prevalence of abdominal adiposity trends among Chinese adults aged 20–65 from 1993 to 2004. We use data of the China Health and Nutrition Survey collected in 1993, 1997, 2000 and 2004. Compared with 1993, the 2004 waist circumference distribution curves flattened and shifted rightwards in males and females. Mean waist circumference increased from 76.8cm to 82.8cm among males and from 75.1cm to 79.3cm among females. A gradient of increasing prevalence of abdominal obesity was also observed in males and females. Similar trends of increasing waist circumference and abdominal obesity were observed in underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity subjects defined by WHO recommended cutoff points of body mass index (BMI). These results demonstrate the rapid increase in obesity, especially abdominal obesity, among Chinese adults. Primary prevention of abdominal obesity should be a major public health problem in China.