Obesity prevalence, waist-to-height ratio and associated factors in adult Turkish males

SummaryThis study was performed to determine the obesity prevalence and associated risk factors in aged 20 and over years old males living in 11 towns in Kayseri, Turkey between July and August 2007. 1530 men were recruited, of which 6 were excluded because of incomplete information. Data were collected by a questionnaire. Body weight, height, waist and hip circumferences were measured. Body mass index (BMI) of 25.0–29.9 kg/m2 was accepted as overweight and above 30 kg/m2 as obesity, waist-to-hip ratio (WHpR) > 1.0 and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) ≥ 0.5 were accepted as abdominal obesity. Chi-square and logistic regression tests were performed. According to BMI, overweight and obesity prevalences were 39.6% and 16.9%, respectively. Obesity prevalence was 29.9% (50–59 years) according to WHpR, 50.4% (60–69 years) according to waist circumference (WC) and 24.8% (40–49 years) according to WHtR. The logistic regression analysis revealed age of 60–69 years, being a graduate from university, being widowed and having positive familial history of obesity as risk factors of having BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. In conclusion, obesity is a serious issue for the males residing in Kayseri and among the anthropometric measurements WHtR is a simple and effective index to identify health related risks even in male of younger ages.