Item request has been placed!
×
Item request cannot be made.
×
Processing Request
Weight underestimation and high cardiovascular disease risk among South African adults with obesity: implications for integrated obesity prevention.
Item request has been placed!
×
Item request cannot be made.
×
Processing Request
- Additional Information
- Source:
Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 100968562 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1471-2458 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14712458 NLM ISO Abbreviation: BMC Public Health Subsets: MEDLINE
- Publication Information:
Original Publication: London : BioMed Central, [2001-
- Subject Terms:
- Abstract:
Background: The contribution of body size perception to cardiovascular disease risk among persons with inherent negative body image perceptions in African settings has not been established. This study describes body image, weight discordance and absolute 10-year CVD risk score among predominantly obese black South African adults.
Methods: A cohort study involving 920 adults aged 35-78 years in an urban township, a rural community, and South Africa. Medical history, anthropometrics and blood pressure were taken at baseline and follow-up. Body image perceptions were obtained using a validated body shape questionnaire at follow-up, and each participant's absolute 10-year CVD risk scores were also determined. Descriptive and mean comparison analyses were undertaken using SPSS version 26.
Results: A higher proportion of women (84.1%) compared to men (32.2%) were overweight (BMI > 25 kg/m2). Increasing weight underestimation was associated with relative weight gain in both genders. Body weight underestimation had a weak, significant association with 10-year absolute CVD risk scores. About a quarter of men, compared to 58.3% of women, 42% of those with normal weight, and 30% with obesity, had a 'high' 10-year CVD risk score (i.e. score ≥ 20%). In both the urban (62% vs. 30%) and the rural (53% vs. 20%) communities, men had higher CVD risk scores than women, and these comparisons were statistically significant (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Obesity and CVD risk prevention programmes targeting black South Africans should consider a sustained healthy weight maintenance intervention focusing on personalised self-assessments of weight gain intentions and body size preferences.
(© 2025. The Author(s).)
- Abstract:
Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study adhered to the Declaration of Helsink. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. The main study for which this study was conducted as an ancillary study was implemented at the School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, South Africa. It was only participants that accepted to participate and voluntarily signed an informed consent form that were allowed to participate in the study. Participants were guided to understand the study using the study information sheet. Participants also were duly informed that participation in the study was voluntary, and that one could stop participation at any point without any consequence. Hard copies of data collected during the study were kept confidential in locked cupboard, and electronic data were saved in the database in well-secured servers provided for the project. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: There was no competing interest in this study.
- References:
Am Heart J. 2009 Jul;158(1):1-7.e1. (PMID: 19540385)
Int J Cardiol. 2018 Mar 1;254:310-315. (PMID: 29407113)
BMC Public Health. 2015 Sep 30;15:992. (PMID: 26423378)
PLoS One. 2015 Oct 08;10(10):e0140153. (PMID: 26447880)
Front Psychol. 2019 Aug 22;10:1952. (PMID: 31507499)
Public Health Nutr. 2005 Aug;8(5):509-19. (PMID: 16153332)
Int J Med Inform. 2014 Sep;83(9):648-54. (PMID: 25002305)
Am J Epidemiol. 2009 Apr 1;169(7):857-66. (PMID: 19221119)
Soc Sci Med. 2022 Jan;292:114545. (PMID: 34802781)
Ethn Dis. 2005 Spring;15(2):238-45. (PMID: 15825970)
BMC Public Health. 2019 Jul 12;19(1):940. (PMID: 31299939)
Cardiovasc J Afr. 2012 Oct;23(9):512-21. (PMID: 23108519)
Int J Eat Disord. 2010 Mar;43(2):112-22. (PMID: 19350648)
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Aug 31;18(17):. (PMID: 34501777)
BMC Med. 2013 Jul 24;11:170. (PMID: 23880010)
Circulation. 2008 Feb 12;117(6):743-53. (PMID: 18212285)
Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med. 2019 Oct 09;11(1):e1-e8. (PMID: 31714115)
Public Health Nutr. 2016 Feb;19(3):548-56. (PMID: 26006784)
PLoS One. 2023 Apr 10;18(4):e0284294. (PMID: 37036868)
Malays J Nutr. 2004 Sep;10(2):131-47. (PMID: 22691735)
Ethn Dis. 2010 Winter;20(1):29-34. (PMID: 20178179)
J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2018 Dec;5(6):1155-1158. (PMID: 29557048)
Body Image. 2004 Jan;1(1):7-14. (PMID: 18089137)
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Jan 31;17(3):. (PMID: 32023911)
BMC Public Health. 2015 Dec 24;15:1292. (PMID: 26703247)
Eat Behav. 2007 Jan;8(1):106-14. (PMID: 17174858)
Cardiovasc J Afr. 2013 Oct-Nov;24(9-10):369-75. (PMID: 24051701)
BMC Public Health. 2016 Apr 29;16:365. (PMID: 27129700)
Behav Res Methods. 2008 May;40(2):394-407. (PMID: 18522048)
Global Health. 2016 Aug 23;12(1):48. (PMID: 27558365)
J Nutr Educ Behav. 2014 Sep-Oct;46(5):412-7. (PMID: 25220776)
S Afr Med J. 2014 Aug 13;104(10):691-6. (PMID: 25363056)
Glob Health Action. 2015 Apr 07;8:26318. (PMID: 25854780)
Glob Heart. 2016 Mar;11(1):37-46.e2. (PMID: 27102021)
BMC Public Health. 2021 Jan 12;21(1):128. (PMID: 33435932)
Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2015 Aug;22(8):1036-42. (PMID: 25208906)
J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020 Dec 22;76(25):2982-3021. (PMID: 33309175)
- Contributed Indexing:
Keywords: Body image; Cardiovascular disease risk; Integrated prevention; Obesity; South African; Weight underestimation
- Publication Date:
Date Created: 20250604 Date Completed: 20250605 Latest Revision: 20250607
- Publication Date:
20260130
- Accession Number:
PMC12139319
- Accession Number:
10.1186/s12889-025-23378-9
- Accession Number:
40468282
No Comments.