Original researchObesity in urban civil servants in Ghana: Association with pre-adult wealth and adult socio-economic status
Introduction
The problems of overweight and obesity [defined as body mass index (BMI) ≥25.0 kg/m2 or ≥30.0 kg/m2, respectively]1 have been reported to be socially patterned. An earlier review of published studies reported a strong direct relationship between higher socio-economic status and obesity in developing societies.2 However, a more recent review of published studies observed a different pattern and concluded that obesity in the developing world was no longer limited to groups of higher socio-economic status.3 Evidence from the limited information on socio-economic position and obesity in sub-Saharan Africa suggest a generally positive association between obesity and socio-economic position, with the risk of obesity increasing with rising socio-economic position.4, 5, 6, 7 Social class in both childhood and adulthood have been shown to be important determinants of risk factors in later life, contributing to adult health and mortality.8, 9, 10 Population-based data on the socio-economic determinants of obesity in sub-Saharan Africa are sparse, and very few of these studies have considered the association between pre-adult socio-economic position and obesity.
The purpose of this study was to examine the association between adulthood socio-economic position and pre-adulthood wealth and obesity, and to determine whether the socio-economic patterns of obesity differ between men and women.
Section snippets
Methods
A cross-sectional survey of civil servants in Accra, the capital city of Ghana, was conducted between January and September 2006. The Republic of Ghana is centrally located in West Africa, and has a population of 22 million with 43.8% of the population living in urban areas. The gross national income per capita is $590 per year.11 The population of Accra is 3 million and is entirely urban.12 The Civil Service forms part of the Public Service of Ghana and is an organized body of men and women
Results
The participation rate was 82.7% (1015 participants out of 1227 workers employed in the seven sampled ministries). Men were significantly older [44.6 years, standard deviation (SD) 9.9 years] than women (43.0 years, SD 10.4 years). Table 1 shows the basic characteristics of participants. BMI was lower in men (24.7 kg/m2, SD 4.3) than women (28.2 kg/m2, SD 5.8, P < 0.001 for difference), but mean waist circumferences were similar (men 89.1 cm, SD 11.9 cm; women 89.5 cm, SD 13.9 cm, P = 0.63 for
Discussion
This study investigated the distribution of BMI, waist circumference and obesity in urban civil servants in Accra, and examined the association between obesity and both pre-adult and adult wealth, and differences between men and women. The prevalence of obesity, particularly in women, was high compared with results from other studies involving populations of African descent.16 The prevalence of obesity and mean BMI were higher in women than men, but mean waist circumference was similar in men
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