Obesity and associated factors in a Palestinian West Bank village population

Objective: To describe body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and waist -hip ratio in a Palestinian West Bank village population, and to assess the associations of these variables to blood pressure and serum lipids. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Community-based study in a prototypic semi-rural Palestinian villa ge in the central West Bank. Subjects: All individuals aged 30-65 y in the study village were invited fo r the study and 500 (85%) participated. Main outcome measures: BMI greater than or equal to 30 was used as the meas ure of obesity. Results: The prevalence of obesity was 37.5% among women and 18.8% among me n. The prevalence of abdominal obesity was 62.5% among women and 14.8% amon g men. BMI seemed to be the more important correlate of blood pressure wher eas waist-hip ratio seemed to be the more important correlate of serum, tri glycerides, compared to the other obesity measures. Conclusions: The prevalence of obesity in the study population was very hig h compared to most other countries in the world, particularly among women. Sponsorship: The study was funded by the Norwegian Universities' Committee for Development Research (NUFU). LCM Stene was supported by a grant from th e Throne Holst Foundation. Descriptors: anthropometry; body mass index; cross-sectional survey; develo ping country; obesity; waist-hip ratio; abdominal obesity.