Prevalence of obesity and correlations with lifestyle and dietary factors in Chinese men.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the age-adjusted prevalence of general and centralized obesity among Chinese men living in urban Shanghai.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was conducted in 61,582 Chinese men aged 40-75. BMI (kg/m(2)) was used to measure overweight (23 < or = BMI < 27.4) and obesity (BMI > or = 27.5) based on the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended criteria for Asians. Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) was used to measure moderate (75th < or = WHR < 90th percentile) and severe (WHR > or = 90th percentile) centralized obesity.


RESULTS
The average BMI and WHR were 23.7 kg/m(2) and 0.90, respectively. The prevalence of overweight was 48.6% and obesity was 10.5%. The prevalence of general and centralized obesity was higher in men with high income or who were retired, tea drinkers, or nonusers of ginseng than their counterparts. Men with high education had a higher prevalence of overweight and centralized obesity, but had a lower prevalence of obesity and severe centralized obesity compared to those with less education. Current smokers or alcohol drinkers had a lower prevalence of general obesity but higher prevalence of centralized obesity than nonsmokers or nondrinkers of alcohol. Ex-smokers and ex-alcohol drinkers had a higher prevalence of general and centralized obesity compared to nonsmokers and nondrinkers of alcohol. Prevalence of obesity was associated with high energy intake and less daily physical activity.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of obesity among Chinese men in urban Shanghai was lower than that observed in Western countries but higher than that in other Asian countries, and the prevalence of general and centralized obesity differed by demographic, lifestyle, and dietary factors.
Lee
Sang-Ah
SA
Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Wen
Wanqing
W
Xu
Wang Hong
WH
Zheng
Wei
W
Li
Honglan
H
Yang
Gong
G
Xiang
Yong-Bing
YB
Shu
Xiao-Ou
XO
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D015995:Prevalence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio; D014944:World Health Organization