Obesity in Patients with Hypertension Attending a Medical Outpatient Clinic in a Tertiary Health Facility in Enugu, Southeast Nigeria

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of obesity is increasing in sub-Saharan Africa which reflects the current global trend. Epidemiological data have consistently shown a strong relationship between obesity and hypertension in Africans, and this association is stronger for central obesity. The aim of this study was to describe the pattern of overweight/obesity among patients living with hypertension in a tertiary hospital in Enugu, Southeast Nigeria. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the Medical Out-Patient Clinic of the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital in Enugu, Enugu State, Southeast Nigeria. Data were analyzed using the SPSS version 22. RESULTS: Data were collected from a total of 450 consenting patients, most of whom 64% (288) were females. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 28.9 ± 6.1 kg/m(2) higher in females than males (29.8 ± 6.5 kg/m(2) vs. 26.7 ± 5.2 kg/m(2), P < 0.001). The gender distribution of classes of obesity showed female preponderance. A little more than one-third of the patients were overweight, whereas about four out of every ten patients were obese. While overweight did not differ significantly across gendeWr (P = 0.67), more feWmales than males were significantly obese (P < 0.001). The age distribution of BMI showed increasing rates of underweight and decreasing rate of morbid obesity with age. About 86.8% of the females had substantially increased waist circumference compared to 26.5% of the males. Overall, 53% of the males and 97.6% of the females have abnormal waist circumferences. Waist–hip ratio was equally abnormal in 89.3% of the study population even though no statistically significant difference was observed across gender. CONCLUSION: Overweight and obesity are common among patients with hypertension as demonstrated in this study. There is need to set up an aspect of health education which specifically sensitizes the public against the untoward consequences of overweight and obesity.