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OBESITY, EMERGING RISK IN CHINA: TREND OF INCREASING PREVALENCE OF OBESITY AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH HYPERTENSION and HYPERCHOLESTEROLAEMIA AMONG THE CHINESE
Author(s) -
Liu Longjian,
Ikeda Katsumi,
Chen Ming,
Yin Wei,
Mizushima Shunsaku,
Miki Tomohiro,
Nara Yasuo,
Yamori Yukio
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
clinical and experimental pharmacology and physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1440-1681
pISSN - 0305-1870
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1681.2004.04105.x
Subject(s) - medicine , obesity , overweight , body mass index , confidence interval , blood pressure , cross sectional study , risk factor , relative risk , demography , endocrinology , pathology , sociology
SUMMARY 1. The aim of the present study was to investigate the trend of the prevalence of obesity in China and its association with hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. 2. A multicentre cross‐sectional study was conducted in Chinese men and women aged 48–56 years between 1985 and 2000. In the report, three study periods were classified as survey 1 (1985), survey 2 (1988–1989) and survey 3 (1997–2000) in order to describe the long‐term trend. 3. The results show that: (i) mean body mass index (BMI), prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥ 28 kg/m 2 ) and overweight (BMI ≥ 25 and < 28 kg/m 2 ) increased significantly from 1985 to 2000 in both sexes ( P < 0.001); (ii) similar to the trend for BMI, the prevalence of hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia (total cholesterol (TC) ≥ 220 mg/dL) also increased significantly from 1985 to 2000 ( P < 0.001); (iii) partial correlation and multiple linear regression analyses indicated that increased BMI was significantly positively correlated with blood pressure and TC and negatively correlated with serum high‐density lipoprotein– cholesterol ( P < 0.01 or P < 0.001); and (iv) multiple logistics regression analysis models indicated that obese subjects had a 3.9‐fold higher risk of being hypertensive (relative risk (RR) 4.9; 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.4–7.3) compared with those subjects who had a BMI less than 25 kg/m 2 . The corresponding RR (95% CI) of obesity for hypercholesterolaemia was 2.63 (1.57–4.40). 4. In conclusion, the results highlight the epidemic of obesity, an emerging risk in China. Great efforts must be made to alter this unwelcome trend.