Dataset Information

Obesity Prevalence and Risks Among Chinese Adults: Findings From the China PEACE Million Persons Project, 2014-2018.

ABSTRACT:

Background

China has seen a burgeoning epidemic of obesity in recent decades, but few studies reported nationally on obesity across socio-demographic subgroups. We sought to assess the prevalence and socio-demographic associations of obesity nationwide.

Methods

We assessed the prevalence of overall obesity (body mass index ≥28 kg/m²) and abdominal obesity (waist circumference ≥85/90 cm for women/men) among 2.7 million community-dwelling adults aged 35 to 75 years in the China PEACE Million Persons Project from 2014 to 2018 and quantified the socio-demographic associations of obesity using multivariable mixed models.

Results

Age-standardized rates of overall and abdominal obesity were 14.4% (95% CI, 14.3%-14.4%) and 32.7% (32.6%-32.8%) in women and 16.0% (15.9%-16.1%) and 36.6% (36.5%-36.8%) in men. Obesity varied considerably across socio-demographic subgroups. Older women were at higher risk for obesity (eg, adjusted relative risk [95% CI] of women aged 65-75 versus 35-44 years: 1.29 [1.27-1.31] for overall obesity, 1.76 [1.74-1.77] for abdominal obesity) while older men were not. Higher education was associated with lower risk in women (eg, adjusted relative risk [95% CI] of those with college or university education versus below primary school: 0.47 [0.46-0.48] for overall obesity, 0.61 [0.60-0.62] for abdominal obesity) but higher risk in men (1.07 [1.05-1.10], 1.17 [1.16-1.19]).

Conclusions

In China, over 1 in 7 individuals meet criteria for overall obesity, and 1 in 3 for abdominal obesity. Wide variation exists across socio-demographic subgroups. The associations of age and education with obesity are significant and differ by sex. Understanding obesity in contemporary China has broad domestic policy implications and provides a valuable international reference.

SUBMITTER: Mu L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8204767 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:INTRODUCTION:Collection of high-quality data from large populations is considered essential to generate knowledge that is critical to an era of precision medicine. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of mortality in China and is a suitable focus of an initiative to discover factors that would improve our ability to assess and modify individual risk. METHODS AND ANALYSIS:The pilot phase of China PEACE (Patient-centered Evaluative Assessment of Cardiac Events) Million Persons Project is being conducted during 2014-2015 in four provinces across China to demonstrate the feasibility of a population-based assessment. It is designed to screen 0.4 million community-dwelling residents aged 40-75 years with measurements of blood pressure, height and weight, a lipid blood test, and a questionnaire on cardiovascular-related health status. Participants identified at high risk of CVD receive further health assessments, including ECG, ultrasound scan, blood and urine analysis, and a questionnaire on lifestyle and medical history. Collection of blood and urine samples is used to establish a biobank. High-risk subjects are also counselled with suggestions regarding potential lifestyle changes. In addition, high-risk subjects are followed-up either in a return clinic visit or by telephone interview, with measurement of blood pressure, weight, ECG, and a questionnaire on survival status, hospitalisations and lifestyle. The first 0.1 million participants screened were used to conduct a preliminary analysis, with information on baseline characteristics, health-related behaviours, anthropometric variables, medical history, and prevalence of high-risk subjects. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION:The central ethics committee at the China National Center for Cardiovascular Disease (NCCD) approved the pilot. Written informed consent is obtained from all participants on entry into the project. Findings will be disseminated in future peer-reviewed papers and will inform strategies aimed at developing precise methods of assessing and modifying risk. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:NCT02536456.