Prevalence of Abdominal Obesity in China: Results from a Cross-Sectional Study of Nearly Half a Million Participants.

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the latest prevalence of abdominal obesity in China based on nationally representative data. A stratified, multistage, random sampling method was used to obtain a nationally representative sample of residents aged ≥ 18 years from 31 provinces in mainland China from October 2012 to December 2015. Abdominal obesity was defined as a waist circumference ≥ 90 cm for men and a waist circumference ≥ 85 cm for women. The data of 441,306 participants were analyzed. The prevalence of abdominal obesity was 29.1% (28.6% in men and 29.6% in women); the number of adults with abdominal obesity was estimated to be 277.8 million (approximately 140.1 million in men and 137.7 million in women). The prevalence of abdominal obesity varied considerably among provinces. In general, the prevalence of abdominal obesity was higher in the northern, lower in the southern, higher in the western, and lower in the eastern areas of China. Besides the regional disparities, the prevalence of abdominal obesity varied greatly among different population subgroups. Abdominal obesity is highly prevalent among Chinese adults. National and provincial obesity control and prevention strategies should be public health priorities in China. To better control obesity, the underlying reasons for the regional disparities need to be addressed.