Magnitude of Central Obesity and its Associated Factors Among Adults in Urban Areas of Northwest Ethiopia

PURPOSE: Obesity is becoming one of the most common public health problems worldwide. In particular, central obesity which indicates abnormal fat accumulation in the abdominal regions is highly associated with the risk of getting cardiometabolic diseases and their progression to end stage diseases or death. However, in developing countries, including Ethiopia less attention has been given to analyze the magnitude and associated factors of it. Therefore, we aimed to determine the prevalence of central obesity and its associated factors among adults in urban areas of Northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 773 adults who lived in urban areas of Northwest Ethiopia from April 1 to May 30, 2019. Central obesity was assessed using both waist to hip ratio and waist circumference of the participants. Data were analyzed using STATA 14.0. The factors associated with central obesity were identified by binary logistic regression analyses using 95% confidence interval and the degree of association of the factors was measured using adjusted odds ratio (AOR). P-value <0.05 was used to declare statistical significance. RESULTS: The prevalence of central obesity with waist circumference and waist to hip ratio definition criteria was 37.6% and 35.7%, respectively. According to body mass index, about 26.26% and 10.29% of the study participants were overweight and obese, respectively. A one-year increase in age (AOR=1.05; 95%CI: 1.03–1.07), being female (AOR=9.62; 95%CI: 4.84–19.12) and eating of liquid oils (AOR=2.58; 95%CI: 1.71−3.90) were found to have statistically significant variables with central obesity. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of central obesity was relatively high in comparison with similar studies. Thus, governmental and nongovernmental organizations that work in the health system as well as health professionals should focus on the preventive measure of central obesity to control its associated disorders at an early stage.