8% of residents in 4 cities suffering from obesity

Nearly 8 per cent of the urban population in four of the country’s city corporations shows a prevalence of obesity while 28 per cent are at risk of obesity, according to a new study.

The findings of the study, titled “Hypertension and Obesity Load in Bangladesh: How Large is the Iceberg?”, were unveiled during a scientific seminar organised at a Dhaka hotel on Thursday.

The study was conducted in Narayanganj, Cumilla, Mymensingh and Rangpur cities under the “Strengthening Urban Public Health System Project.”

The project is being implemented by Save the Children in Bangladesh and South Asia Field Epidemiology and Technology Network, Bangladesh with assistance from US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC).

According to the study, of the 48,644 participants, 36 per cent are obese or at risk of obesity or overweight. Prevalence of obesity is higher among female participants (10 per cent) compared to male participants (7 per cent).

Overweight is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI), or weight-to-height ratio, greater than or equal to 25 and lower than 30, while obesity is defined as having a BMI equal to or greater than 30, says US CDC.

This obesity rate is, however, much lower than the rate found during a national-level study in 2013.

In 1980, 7 per cent of adults and 3 per cent of children were found overweight or obese in Bangladesh. In 2013, those rates had climbed to 17 per cent for adults and 4.5 per cent for children, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation of the University of Washington.

The new study also tested hypertension, which is a common risk factor among city dwellers, among the participants.

It said some 23 per cent of the urban population in the four cities are suffering from hypertension while 14 per cent are at higher risk of being hypertensive.

As per its findings, the prevalence of hypertension is higher among men (24 per cent) than women (22 per cent).