Author
Kirkuk Health Directorate
Abstract
Background: Several studies have shown that the reisa significant relationship between increase in weight and blood pressure. The anatomical distribution of weight has also been shown to be a factor in determining which people are moresusceptible to hypertension and thus, at risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Objectives: To examine the Body Mass Index profile and Waist Hip Ratio ratio measurements of Sulaimani Teaching Hospital employee and its relationship withblood pressure. Methodology: Two hundred individuals of Sulaimani Teaching Hospital employeeaged20- 65 years (according to inclusion criteria) were selected including males and females. Information was obtained about lifestyle, smoking, and occupation as well as family history of hypertension, diabetes, cardiac and renal diseases, that employee were asked to undergo physical examination, height, weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, mid arm circumference systolic and diastolic blood pressure and pulse rate were recorded. The partial correlation was used to quantify the association between Body Mass Index and Waist Hip Ratio and other anthropometrics with systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Results: Mean Body Mass Index was 27.28 (SD±4.55). Descriptive analysis revealed that 1(0.5%) of the study populationis classified as underweight, 66(33 %) as normal weight, 91(45.5%) as overweight, and 42(21.0 %) as obese. Abdominal adiposity, as measured by increased Waist Hip Ratio, was present in 126 subjects (63%) among them 23(18%) subjects hadnormal Body Mass Index. Inspection of the data obtained for the hypertension, indicated. That (16) subjects of the study population (8.0%) were hypertensive, (6females and10 males) among those (5) males had normal Body Mass Index. Partial correlation controlled for age, revealed that both Body Mass Index and Waist Hip Ratio were independently correlated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressures, this association was more with Waist Hip Ratio than that of Body Mass Index. Conclusions: The present results indicate that there is a high prevalence of overweight and obesity specially among the young and adult sage groups more than that of the old age group in Sulaimani Teaching Hospital employee, additionally there is high prevalence of abdominal obesity specially young females in spite of having normal Body Mass Index. Thereishighincidenceofhypertensionandthisincidencerelatedmorewiththeincreasingweighta ndabdominalfatthan with ageing table (13) and figure (1 -A).
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