Contact Admin. Obesity is a major health problem, and there is an increasing trend of overweight and obese individuals in developing countries. Being overweight or obese is known to contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality rates in various countries around the world. We therefore aimed to identify and discuss current epidemiological data on the prevalence of obesity in Nigeria. A systematic review of papers published on the prevalence of obesity among adults in the country was carried out.
The search limits were articles published from January to September Only studies that used the body mass index to assess for overweight and obesity were included. Four studies met the inclusion criteria out of the 75 studies reviewed.
In Nigeria, the prevalence of overweight individuals ranged from The prevalence of overweight and obese individuals in Nigeria is of epidemic proportions. There is a need to pay closer attention to combating these health disorders. Noncommunicable diseases have overtaken communicable diseases as the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Nigeria.
Other factors driving this transition include changes in diet, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and inadequate exercise. There is also rural to urban as well as fetal malnutrition, which predisposes individuals to development of noncommunicable diseases in adulthood. In addition, surveys have shown that the increasing trend of obesity in the world is even more pronounced in developing countries of the world.
Obesity is associated with major and minor diseases. The major diseases associated with obesity include hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and atherosclerosis, as well as certain types of cancer; there are also many additional less known complications of the disease. The direct medical costs usually include preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services related to obesity.
