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and almost every fourth is obese. We have not observed ethnic or gender differences in the studied outcomes. Factors behind these findings may be associated with rapid transition of oil-rich country of Kazakhstan and will be discussed. Key messages Our results suggest that more than a half of the urban population of Semey, East Kazakhstan is overweight or obese. We have not observed ethnic or gender differences in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the study setting.
Ethnic and gender differences in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in East Kazakhstan Akbayan Markabayeva AS Kerimkulova1, TK Rakhypbekov1, AM Markabayeva1, ZT Moldagalieva2, LM Pivina1, BK Kurmangazhina1, AE Nurzhanova1, VR Veber3, AM Grjibovski4,5 1 State Medical University, Semey, Kazakhstan 2 Semey Diagnostic Centre, Semey, Kazakhstan 3 Novgorod State University, Novgorod, Russia 4 International School of Public Health, Northern State Medical University, Arkhangelsk, Russia 5 Department of International Public Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway Contact:
[email protected]
Background The prevalence of overweight and obesity is an increasing public health problem in many developing countries with varying ethnic- and gender specific patterns. Sporadic publications in local literature suggest that the prevalence of overweight in Kazakhstan is also increasing, although most of these studies were small and performed only in large cities (Alma-Ata, Astana) while the information from other parts of the country is scarce. Our aim was to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity across genders and main ethnic groups in a typical urban setting in East Kazakhstan. Methods Altogether, 24 707 adults (69.7% women) aged 18-102 years permanently living in a city of Semey (population 314.7 thousand in 2013) participated in a cross-sectional study. Height and weight were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. The prevalence of overweight (BMI between 25.0 and
