Body size and abnormal lipids among adult patients at the Baptist Medical centre, Ogbomoso, Nigeria

Background: In many developing countries overweight, obesity and obesity-related morbidity are becoming a problem of increasing importance. Obese individuals are more likely to have elevated total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and decreased high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Objective: To determine the prevalence of obesity using the measure of body mass index (BMI) and abnormal lipid level and the association between obesity and abnormal lipid level among adults in Ogbomoso, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study of 400 adults aged 18 years and above was carried out at the Baptist Medical Centre, Ogbomoso, Nigeria. Participants were administered a standardized questionnaire and had measurements of weight, height and blood lipids taken. Results: Four hundred subjects were randomly selected (221 females and 179 males) with a mean age of 48.65 +/- 16.56 years. The overall prevalence of obesity was 14.75% (8.9% for males and 19.5% for females p<0.05). The female subjects were significantly more sedentary than the males (50.8% for males, 62.4% for females, p<0.05). Most of the subjects who were obese (88.1%) preferred high calorie food. The overall prevalence of abnormal lipid levels was 28.5% (26.8% for males and 29.9% for females). The prevalence of abnormal lipid levels among the subjects who were obese was 40.7%. Conclusion: Obesity in this environment is particularly significant among females and is associated with abnormal lipid level.