Prevalence of Obesity among Adult Hypertensive Patients attending the Lagos State Hospital, Ikeja South West, Nigeria

Objective: Nutritional assessment of hypertensive patients attending the Lagos State Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria was assessed to determine prevalence of overweight and obesity among the patients. Subjects and methods: The study involved three hundred and forty (340) adult males and females hypertensive patients. Pretested interviewer- administered questionnaires were used to obtain information on the socio- demographic characteristics and the feeding pattern of the patients. The weight, height, waist and hip circumferences of the patients were assessed. The body mass index (BMI) of the patients was determined as weight (Kg)/ height (m)2 to detect underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity. The waist/hip ratio of the patient was also determined. Results: The mean (SD) age of the patients was 57(13.2) years. Forty percent of the patients were males while 203(60.0) % were females. The weights and heights of the male and female patients were 72.6 (13.8)kg and 80.5 (12.3)kg and also 1.67(0.12)m and 1.58(0.33)m respectively. The mean (SD) waist/hip ratio of the male and female patients were 1.01 (0.08) and 0.97 (0.06) respectively. Only 0.9% of the patients were underweight, 20.9% had normal weight while 78.2% were either overweight or obese. Among the overweight and obes patients, the percentage (50.5%) of the female patients was significantly higher than their male counterparts (27.6%) (p< 0.001). Conclusion: A high incidence of overweight and obesity was observed among the hypertensive patients. The females were significantly more overweight than the females. Low-calorie diet and regular moderate exercise should be emphasized in the management of overweight and obese hypertensive patients