Obesity epidemic in urban Tanzania: a public health calamity in an already overwhelmed and fragmented health system
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
Obesity epidemic in urban Tanzania: a public health calamity in an already overwhelmed and fragmented health system Pedro Pallangyo1,2* , Zabella S. Mkojera1, Naairah R. Hemed1, Happiness J. Swai1, Nsajigwa Misidai1, Lucy Mgopa1, Smita Bhalia2, Jalack Millinga3, Theophil L. Mushi2, Lucia Kabeya3, Aisha Omar3, Alice Kaijage2, Rydiness Mulashani3, Silvia Mosha3, Faustina Mwapinga3 and Mohamed Janabi2
Abstract Background: Worldwide, the epidemiological and demographic transitions have resulted in nutrition shift characterized by an increased consumption of high energy fast food products. In just over 3 decades, overweight and obesity rates have nearly tripled to currently affecting over a third of the global population. Notwithstanding the ever present under-nutrition burden, sub Saharan Africa (SSA) is witnessing a drastic escalation of overweight and obesity. We aimed to explore the prevalence and associated factors for obesity among residents of Dar es Salaam city in Tanzania. Methods: Participants from this study were recruited in a community screening conducted during the Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair. Sociodemographic and clinical data were gathered using a structured questionnaire during enrollment. Dietary habits and anthropometric measurements were assessed using standard methods. All statistical analyses utilized STATA v11.0 software. Pearson Chi square and Student’s T-test were used to compare categorical and continuous variables respectively. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess for factors associated with BMI ≥ 25. All tests were 2-sided and p < 0.05 was used to denote a statistical significance. Results: A total of 6691 participants were enrolled. The mean age was 43.1 years and males constituted 54.2% of all participants. Over two-thirds of participants were alcohol consumers and 6.9% had a positive smoking history. 88.3% of participants were physically inactive, 4.7% had a history of diabetes mellitus and 18.1% were known to have elevated blood pressure. Overweight and obesity were observed in 34.8 and 32.4% of participants respectively. Among overweight and obese participants, 32.8% had a misperception of having a healthy weight. Age ≥ 40, female gender, a current working status, habitual breakfast skipping, poor water intake, high soft drink consumption, regular fast food intake, low vegetable and fruit consumption, alcohol consumption and hypertension were found to be independent associated factors for obesity. (Continued on next page)
* Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Unit of Research, Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute, P.O Box 65141, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 2 Cardiology, Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute, P.O Box 65141, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s). 2020 Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long
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