Overweight, obesity and high waist circumference: regional differences in prevalence in primary medical care.

INTRODUCTION

The prevalence of obesity and elevated waist circumference in Germany is high. However, there are insufficient data on the situation in primary care and on regional distribution to support medical preventive measures.

METHODS

The German Metabolic and Cardiovascular Risk Project (GEMCAS) is a national cross-sectional study including 1511 primary care practices and 35 869 patients. Height, weight, waist circumference, laboratory values, and type 2 diabetes were documented.

RESULTS

The crude prevalence of obesity was 23.9% (95% CI 23.4 to 24.3) (standardized 22.8% [95% CI 22.3 to 23.2]), with a minimum in Bremen (19.8% [95% CI 15.1 to 24.5]) and a maximum in Saxony-Anhalt (28.3% [95% CI 25.4 to 31.1]). The crude prevalence of high waist circumference (> 102/88 cm) was 39.5% (95% CI 39.0 to 40.0) (standardized 36.5% [95% CI 36.0 to 36.9]), with a minimum in Hamburg (30.5% [95% CI 26.2 to 34.8]) and a maximum in Saxony-Anhalt (42.1% [95% CI 39.2 to 45.1]). The prevalence of obesity as assessed by BMI was higher in men than in women, but greater in women as assessed by waist circumference. Nationwide, 50 out of every 100 patients with obesity had type 2 diabetes, and 32 of 100 patients with a high waist circumference had type 2 diabetes.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of obesity is higher in northeastern Germany than in the southwest. Overall, abdominal obesity is considerably more frequent than obesity based on BMI. Surprisingly, a high prevalence of obesity in some federal states does not automatically mean a higher number of people with type 2 diabetes.