OBJECTIVE

This study aims to estimate the up-to-date prevalence of overweight/obesity in the suburban area of Beijing, China, and its associations with hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome (MetS).

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey in 19,003 suburban adults was carried out in Beijing, 2007. Overweight and obesity class 1, 2, and 3 were defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25.0-29.9, 30.0-34.9, 35.0-39.9, and ≥ 40 kg/m(2), respectively.

RESULTS

The age-standardized prevalence of overweight/obesity was 31.9% in the study. With increasing BMI, the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and MetS also increased. With normal body weight as reference, the adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of hypertension for overweight and obesity class 1-3 was 2.5 (2.2-2.7), 3.1 (2.8-3.4), 3.6 (3.1-4.3), and 4.5 (4.0-5.2), respectively. The same trend was observed for diabetes and MetS. For dyslipidemia, however, participants with obesity class 2 had the highest odds ratio.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and MetS increases with increasing BMI. Overweight/obesity is an important risk factor for these diseases. To reduce the social burden of these obesity-related diseases, effective strategies for the prevention of overweight/obesity should be implemented.