The double burden of malnutrition and cardiometabolic risk widens the gender and socio-economic health gap: a study among adults in Burkina Faso (West Africa)

Abstract

Objective: To document the double burden of malnutrition and cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRF) in adults and its occurrence according to different sociodemographic parameters. Design: Population-based cross-sectional observational study. We first randomly selected 330 households stratified by tertile of the income levels proxy as low, middle and high income. Setting: Northern district of Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso. Subjects: In each income stratum, 110 individuals aged 25-60 years and who had lived permanently in Ouagadougou for at least 6 months were randomly selected, followed with collection of anthropometric, socio-economic and clinical data, and blood samples. Results: The overall obesity/overweight prevalence was 24?2 % and it was twice as high in women as in men (34?1 % v. 15?5 %, P , 0?001). Hypertension, hyperglycaemia and low HDL cholesterol prevalence was 21?9 %, 22?3 % and 30?0 %, respectively, without gender difference. The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was 10?3 %. Iron depletion and vitamin A deficiency affected 15?7 % and 25?7 % of participants, respectively, with higher rates in women. Coexistence of at least one nutritional deficiency and one CMRF was observed in 23?5 % of participants, and this 'double burden' was significantly higher in women than in men (30?4 % v. 16?1 %, P 5 0?008) and in the low income group. Conclusions: CMRF are becoming a leading nutritional problem in adults of Ouagadougou, while nutritional deficiencies persist. The double nutritional burden exacerbates health inequities and calls for action addressing both malnutrition and nutrition-related chronic diseases.

Conflicting effects of BMI and waist circumference on iron status

“…These studies neither mention whether participants were residing in rural or urban settings [13,21] nor did they separate participants into urban and rural groupings [6,14,22,23]. The strength of the present study lies in the fact that all participants were from a rural area in South Africa where literacy level is low and the unemployment rate is high [16], which resembles the socio-demographic profile of many developing countries.…”

Gender differences in sociodemographic and behavioural factors associated with BMI in an adult population in rural Burkina Faso – an AWI-Gen sub-study

“…In the STEPwise approach to Surveillance (STEPS), national survey for non-communicable diseases, it was reported that women were more overweight and obese than men [17]. Other studies in urban Burkina Faso or hospital (outpatients) settings reported that women were more overweight and obese than men [12,22–25]. In their study in four sub-Saharan countries (Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda) Ajayi et al also reported the gender difference in favour of women [11].…”

“…Within SSA, the prevalence of obesity has been increasing over the past 30 years with regional disparities [9]. Whereas most hypotheses emphasise the role of urbanization and a westernization of lifestyles as the main causes of the rising prevalence of obesity in some parts of SSA [10–12], little reliable data have been collected to explain the trends at national or regional levels.…”

Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome in a Burkina Faso Urban Area: Prevalence,Associated Factors and Comorbidities

“…Indeed, using 03 of the IDF criteria, we found it in 7% of our subjects with no significant difference between the peripheral and the central neighbourhood. One previously study in 2010 [24], using the National Cholesterol Program Education-Adult Treatment Panel III criteria [25], found a prevalence of 10.3% of MetS in Ouagadougou. This MetS was associated with age, being female and general obesity.…”