Worsening trend of central obesity despite stable or declining body mass index in Hong Kong Chinese between 1996 and 2005

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 64; no. 5; pp. 549 - 552
• Main Authors: Ko, G.T, Tang, J.S, Chan, J.C.N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.05.2010; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/699/1702/393; 692/700/139/1735; 692/700/478/174; Adult; Age; Aged; anthropometric measurements; Asian people; Body Mass Index; Body size; Body weight; China; Chinese people; Clinical Nutrition; disease prevalence; epidemiological studies; Epidemiology; Female; Forecasts and trends; gender differences; Health aspects; Hong Kong; Hong Kong - epidemiology; human diseases; human nutrition; Humans; Internal Medicine; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; men; Metabolic Diseases; Middle Aged; nutritional status; Obesity; Obesity - epidemiology; Obesity, Abdominal; Obesity, Abdominal - epidemiology; Overweight; Physiological aspects; Prevalence; Public Health; Sex Factors; short-communication; Waist Circumference; women; China; Hong Kong; Hong Kong, China; Hong Kong China; Chinese; waist circumference; obesity; trends; adults
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5640; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/ejcn.2010.49

We analyzed the obesity trends in Hong Kong using data from a health assessment program. We recruited 84 357 subjects (27 452 men and 56 905 women; age: mean±s.d. 49.0±14.7 years, range 20-98 years) in three phases: (1) April 1996 to August 1997 (n=17 119); (2) February 2001 to December 2002 (n=16 978); and (3) January 2004 to December 2005 (n=50 260). Waist circumferences were available only in phases 2 and 3. Central obesity was defined as waist > or = 90 cm in men and > or = 80 cm in women. Overweight and obesity (general) were defined as body mass index (BMI) > or = 23 and > or = 25 kg/m2, respectively. The age-standardized rate (95% CI) of general obesity was stable in men (31.6% (29.6, 33.7) in 1996 vs 31.0% (30.0, 32.0) in 2005, P: NS) but declined in women (22.4% (21.3, 23.5) in 1996 vs 18.8% (18.2, 19.4) in 2005, P<0.05). The prevalence of central obesity increased from 23.0% (20.6, 25.4) in 2001 to 26.9% (26.0, 27.8) in 2005 in men (P<0.05) and remained stable in women, with corresponding rates of 27.5% (25.8, 29.3) and 26.6% (26.0, 27.3), respectively (P: NS). In summary, despite stable or declining BMI, age-standardized central obesity failed to decline in Hong Kong Chinese women and continued to increase in Chinese men over a 10-year period.