Morbid obesity in women on the rise: an observational, population-based study

BMC Public Health

Mark A Kotowicz²  Sharon L Brennan¹  Julie A Pasco² 

[1] Australian Institute for Musculo-Skeletal Science, The University of Melbourne, St Albans, Victoria, Australia;Department of Medicine, Barwon Health, Geelong, Victoria, Australia

关键词: Body mass index;    Epidemiology;    Women;    Morbid obesity;   

Others  :  1162390
DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2458-13-290

 received in 2012-11-20, accepted in 2013-03-26,  发布年份 2013

【 摘 要 】

Background

The obesity epidemic is generally monitored by the proportion of the population whose body mass index (BMI) exceeds 30 kg/m² but this masks the growing proportion of those who are morbidly obese. This issue is important as the adverse health risks amplify as the level of obesity increases. The aim of this study was to determine how the prevalence of morbid obesity (BMI ≥ 40.0 kg/m²) has changed over a decade among women living in south-eastern Australia.

Methods

BMI was determined for women in the Geelong Osteoporosis study (GOS) during two time periods, a decade apart. Height and weight were measured for 1,494 women (aged 20–94 years) during 1993–7 and for 1,076 women (aged 20–93 years), 2004–8, and the BMI calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in metres (kg/m²). Prevalence estimates were age-standardised to enable direct comparisons.

Results

Mean BMI increased from 26.0 kg/m² (95%CI 25.7-26.3) in 1993–7, to 27.1 kg/m² (95%CI 26.8-27.4) in 2004–8. During this period, the prevalence of morbid obesity increased from 2.5% to 4.2% and the standardised morbidity ratio for morbid obesity was 1.69 (95%CI 1.26-2.27). Increases in mean BMI and prevalence of morbid obesity were observed for all ages and across the socioeconomic spectrum.

Conclusions

These findings reveal that over a decade, there has been an increase in mean BMI among women residing in south-eastern Australia, resulting in a measurable increase in the prevalence of morbid obesity.

【 授权许可】

   
2013 Pasco et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

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