Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Maiduguri, North-Eastern Nigeria

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of obesity is on the increase worldwide including in many developing countries. There is no report on the magnitude of obesity among adults in Maiduguri, a major city in northeastern Nigeria.MATERIALS and METHODS: We selected a sample of 1650 men and women aged 15 years and above resident in Gwange ward in Maiduguri metropolitan council using a multistage sampling technique. Height, weight, waist (WC) and hip circumferences were measured. Body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were calculated. Data were analyzed using SPSS version13. The ethics committee of the Universityof Maiduguri Teaching Hospital approved the study and consent was sought individually from the participants before being enlisted.RESULTS: The mean (SD) age of the respondents was 36.2 (14.4) years, with a range of 15 to 70 years. The mean (SD) ages of the males and females were 34.9 (14.3) and 38.9 (14.0) years, respectively, (p<0.001). The overall crude prevalence rates of overweight and obesity were 27.1% and 17.1%, respectively. In men, 40.6% were either overweight or obese, while in women 51.9% were either overweight or obese. We observed thehighest prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in the middle age group. There were more obese females than males (14.05 vs. 4.3%) among both young and elderly (12.1% vs. 10.5%) subjects.CONCLUSION: The prevalence of overweight and obesity is high in Maiduguri metropolis particularly among women. Concerted efforts should be made to curb the menace of increasing rate of obesity in the metropolis through public enlightenment on the risks associated with obesity and the benefits of adopting a healthy lifestyle.KEY WORDS: Overweight, Obesity, Prevalence, Maiduguri