PREVALENCE OF ABDOMINAL OBESITY AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH CARDIOVASCULAR RISK AMONG THE ADULT POPULATION IN BURKINA FASO

ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of abdominal obesity and its associated factors in Burkina Faso. We hypothesize that there is a high burden of abdominal obesity and it is significantly associated with sociodemographic and cardiovascular risk factors.DesignWe performed secondary analysis of the survey conducted in Burkina Faso using the World Health Organization (WHO) STEPwise approach.SettingThe study was conducted in Burkina Faso with all 13 regions of the country included.ParticipantsOur study involved 4308 adults of both sexes aged 25 to 64 years.Main outcomeOur primary outcome was the abdominal obesity which was could defined using a cut-off point of waist circumference (WC) of ≥94 cm for men and ≥80 cm for women.ResultsThe overall age-standardized prevalence of abdominal obesity was 22.5% (95% CI: 21.3–23.7). This age-standardized prevalence was 35.9% (95% CI: 33.9–37.9) among women and 5.2% (95% CI: 4.3–6.2) among men (p < 0.001). In urban areas, the age-standardized prevalence of abdominal obesity was 42.8% (95% CI: 39.9–45.7) and 17.0% (95%CI: 15.7–18.2) in rural areas (p < 0.001). The overall age-standardized prevalence of very high WC (WC ≥102 cm for men and ≥88 cm for women) was 10.2% (95%CI: 9.3–11.1). According to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) BMI–WC matrix, which combines the body mass index (BMI) and WC to define different levels of cardiovascular health risk, 14.6% of adult Burkinabè had an increased cardiovascular health risk.ConclusionOur study shows a high prevalence of abdominal obesity among the adult population in Burkina Faso. These findings suggest that the measurement of WC should be systematically incorporated in Burkina Faso primary healthcare centers for the early detection of high cardiovascular risk in order to reduce levels of premature death.STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF THIS STUDY➢This is the first national representative study on abdominal obesity in the context of an emerging epidemiological transition in Burkina Faso.➢A recommended cut-off point was used to define abdominal obesity among the adult population in Burkina Faso, which we found to be associated with “intermediate” cardiovascular risk factors.➢The waist circumference and risk factors used in this study were measured using the standard approach proposed by the WHO [1]. However, some risk factors such as physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, and type of fat were self-reported and may therefore be affected by information bias.➢This study was a cross-sectional study and must not be considered to make causal inference.Target journalhttps://bmjopen.bmj.com/