August 2020 Vol. 8 No.8

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Original Research Article

Clinical Correlates of Obesity: A Cross-Sectional Survey among Adolescents in North-Western Nigeria

Eseigbe P^1*, Onuoha FM², Moses LA³, Ibrahim BY⁴

¹Department of Family Medicine, Bingham University/Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria
²Department of Family Medicine, Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Nigeria
³Department of Family Medicine, National Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria
⁴Department of Family Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria

*Corresponding Author's E-mail: triciaese@yahoo.com
Tel.: +2348135600507

Received: 02 August 2020  I  Accepted: 18 August 2020  I  Published: 24 August 2020  I  Article ID: MRJMMS-20-120
Copyright © 2020 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article.
This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0.

Abstract

Adolescents constitute a huge proportion of the world’s population. Adolescent obesity has globally increased to significant levels with serious public health consequences. The epidemic of obesity has major complications for health care now and in the future. Obesity is a major risk factor for a number of chronic medical conditions. As the obese adolescent grows into an obese adult, the morbidity and mortality associated with obesity occur with an increased risk. This was a cross-sectional school –based study conducted in Kaduna, North-west Nigeria. The secondary schools were selected via simple random sampling and the participants were recruited using systematic sampling method. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect the participants’ demographics and their height, weight, and blood pressures were measured. Furthermore, their blood samples were taken for blood glucose and lipid profile estimation. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 21 and a p-value of <0.05 was regarded as statistically significant. A total of 150 adolescents participated in the study. The prevalence of obesity was 14.0% and overweight was 21.3%. Only 1.3% of the participants had diastolic hypertension, 12% had hyperglycemia and 8.7% had hyperlipidemia. There was a statistically significant association between obesity and hyperlipidemia (x2 = 9.23, p = 0.03). Adolescent obesity poses greater risk for the development of some major chronic disorders. Prompt management of obesity in adolescence is key to curtailing the menace of obesity for the present and future health of the populace.

Keywords: Adolescents, Blood glucose, Blood lipids, Blood pressure, Obesity