title: Abdominal obesity and its association with health-related quality of life in adults: a population-based study in five Chinese cities.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of abdominal obesity and its association with the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a randomly selected Chinese sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  A population-based sample of 3,600 residents aged 18-80 years was selected randomly from 5 Chinese cities. Demographic information, and waist and hip circumference measurements were obtained. The Mandarin version of the Short Form 36 Health Survey questionnaire (SF-36) was used to assess the HRQOL. Waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were used as measures of abdominal obesity, and the prevalence of abdominal obesity and its association with HRQOL were analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 3,184 participants included in the analysis, the prevalence of abdominal obesity was about 45% in both women and men as evaluated by WC, and about 40% in women and 33% in men as evaluated by WHR. The prevalence varied by city, region, age, marital status, education level, family income, smoking, and the presence of chronic diseases. Both WC and WHR increased with age, and men had larger WC and WHR than women in most age groups. In women, abdominal obesity, as determined by both WC and WHR, was associated with meaningful impairments in 4 physical health scales and 2 mental health scales. In men, abdominal obesity, as determined by WC, was associated with 1 physical health scale and 1 mental health scale, and it was associated with 2 physical health scales based on WHR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Physical health, but not mental health, was more vulnerable to impairment with abdominal obesity, and the impairments varied between genders. Public health agencies should emphasize that abdominal obesity impairs physical health.
authors.forename: Shunquan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: An
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Yingying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Meijing
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Xiuqiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Yanfang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Statistics, Second Military Medical University, No, 800 of XiangYin Road, Shanghai, China. hejia63@yeah.net.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055105:Waist Circumference; D055815:Young Adult