An assessment of weight and weight awareness of patients presenting for outpatient care in Cameroon

Abstract

In Africa, the disease burden is changing with many populations now experiencing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes. The worldwide association of obesity with an increase of NCDs has been well established. In African nations, the estimated obesity rates vary from 3.7 to 70.5%. This study aimed to identify: (1) the prevalence of obesity in the clinic user population and (2) the knowledge of and attitude toward obesity. The study population included 550 participants (332 females; 218 males). By body mass index (BMI), the prevalence of overweight/obesity was 58.2% and was associated with age and hypertension. Many participants (73.4%) thought that being overweight/obese does not promote good health. Yet, 60.6% of the overweight/obese participants viewed their weight as being normal or underweight. Almost a quarter (22.4%) of all participants said they were taking actions to maintain or reduce their weight. It was noteworthy that men preferred exercise and women diet as their weight management strategy. Of the 200 women participants of reproductive age (20-40 years), 111 (55.5%) were overweight/obese, and 8 (4.0%) had an elevated blood pressure ≥140/90. This raises concerns that increased numbers of women of reproductive age will develop NCDs impacting the obstetrical and reproductive care workload. To avoid this, it is essential to provide health education in hopes of improving women's weight awareness and preventing NCDs.

HIV‐positive Malawian women with young children prefer overweight body sizes and link underweight body size with inability to exclusively breastfeed

“…When asked to identify their own body sizes using body image silhou- Matoti-Mvalo & Puoane, 2011;McCormick et al, 2014;Muhihi et al, 2012;Njecko, Meyer, Ashu, & Gobte, 2014;Puoane et al, 2005). Although our results matched these findings for overweight women, who tended to underestimate their current sizes, we conversely found that underweight women tended to overestimate their current sizes.…”

“…Although most women chose figures that were within one BMI category of their actual figures (e.g., overweight women indicated normal weight figures), these slightly inaccurate self‐perceptions could have important health implications because overweight status is associated with increased risk for noncommunicable diseases (World Health Organization, ). Similar research studies across sub‐Saharan Africa have found that women tend to perceive their figures as smaller than their actual body sizes (Devanathan et al, ; Matoti‐Mvalo & Puoane, ; McCormick et al, ; Muhihi et al, ; Njecko, Meyer, Ashu, & Gobte, ; Puoane et al, ). Although our results matched these findings for overweight women, who tended to underestimate their current sizes, we conversely found that underweight women tended to overestimate their current sizes.…”

“…Health workers may play a critical role in shaping underlying beliefs about breastfeeding and body size because they are influential in guiding infant feeding practices (Flax et al, ) and serve as a primary source of health information (Mvo et al, ; Njecko et al, ; Pratt, Obeng‐Quaidoo, Okigbo, & James, ). The context of widespread seasonal food insecurity, common perceptions that larger sizes are most healthy, and stigma of HIV/AIDS should be taken into consideration when developing healthy weight interventions and programs, particularly because no current messaging exists to address how body size might influence infant feeding decisions (Mvo et al, ; Puoane et al, ).…”