title: Obesity in African women in the North West Province, South Africa is associated with an increased risk of non-communicable diseases: the THUSA study. Transition and Health during Urbanisation of South Africans.
abstract: The objective of the present study was to assess the relationship between anthropometric measurements and risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCD) in South African black women. A cross-sectional sample of 1040 apparently healthy black female volunteers, 15-70 years old, was recruited from thirty-seven randomly selected sites in the North West Province, stratified according to level of urbanisation. We analysed the association between BMI, waist:hip (WHR), waist circumference (WC) and skinfold measurements and the following risk factors for NCD: blood pressure, serum lipids, fasting serum glucose and insulin and plasma fibrinogen, by using age-adjusted correlation analyses and stepwise regression analysis. Of the subjects, 28.6 % were obese (BMI>30). After adjustment for age and smoking status, BMI correlated significantly with diastolic blood pressure (r 0.21, P=0.037), serum triacylglycerols (TG) (r 0.30, P=0.003), fasting glucose (r 0.29, P=0.005) and log fasting insulin (r 0.24, P=0.02). There was a significant negative correlation between BMI and HDL-cholesterol (r -0.38, P<0.001). Similar but stronger correlations were found between both WC and WHR and these risk factors. Together with age, WC was a significant predictor of TG, HDL-cholesterol and fasting glucose in regression analysis, while subscapular skinfold was a significant predictor of diastolic blood pressure and fasting glucose concentration. Triceps skinfold was a significant predictor of total serum cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, plasma fibrinogen and the insulin sensitivity index. Measures of obesity, particularly WC, are associated with the risk for NCD in black South African women, in which a high rate of obesity has been found.
authors.affiliation: School of Physiology, Nutrition and Family Ecology, Potchefstroom University for CHE, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa. vgehsk@puknet.puk.ac.za
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kruger
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Venter
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Vorster
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D044383:Black People; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001824:Body Constitution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D008055:Lipids; D005340:Fibrinogen