Table 1. Demographic, anthropometric and cardio-metabolic outcomes, by BMI category and site.
| US | South Africa | Ghana | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| NW (N = 24) | Obese (N = 44) | NW (N = 48) | Obese (N = 47) | NW (N = 52) | Obese (n = 26) | |
| Age (years) | 31.5 ± 6.9 | 35.2 ± 5.7 | 32.1 ± 5.2 | 32.7 ± 6.4 | 33.2 ± 7.1 | 35.5 ± 5.7 |
| Education (years) | 13.7 ± 2.8 | 13.8 ± 2.8 | 10.2 ± 1.5β | 9.9 ± 2.3β | 7.7 ± 4.6β | 7.6 ± 4.5β |
| % Manual labor | 35.5 % | 33.3 % | 87.8 %β | 95.5 % | 88.1 %β | 81.8 %β |
| Body composition | ||||||
| Weight (kg) | 59.6 ± 7.4 | 104.5 ± 16.1 | 55.7 ± 5.7α | 93.8 ± 15.9α | 54.1 ± 5.9β | 86.6 ± 11.6β |
| Height (cm) | 1.66 ± 0.06 | 1.64 ± 0.07 | 1.59 ± 0.06α | 1.60 ± 0.06α | 1.58 ± 0.06β | 1.59 ± 0.06β |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 21.6 ± 2.5 | 38.9 ± 6.0 | 21.9 ± 1.9 | 36.5 ± 5.2 | 21.6 ± 2.1 | 34.3 ± 4.58α |
| Fat-free mass (kg) | 39.4 ± 4.0 | 54.1 ± 6.4 | 36.3 ± 3.4β | 48.7 ± 6.5β | 37.1 ± 3.2α | 49.3 ± 4.6α |
| Fat mass (kg) | 20.4 ± 5.4 | 50.4 ± 10.8 | 19.4 ± 4.2α | 45.1 ± 10.1 | 17.0 ± 4.0βγ | 37.2 ± 7.8βδ |
| %body fat | 33.6 ± 6.3 | 47.9 ± 3.7 | 34.6 ± 5.0 | 47.7 ± 3.1 | 31.1 ± 4.8δ | 42.7 ± 3.5βδ |
| Waist (cm) | 75.5 ± 8.5 | 112.6 ± 14.1 | 77.0 ± 6.9 | 104.8 ± 12.7α | 76.0 ± 8.6 | 103.9 ± 14.2α |
| Hip (cm) | 95.4 ± 6.4 | 127.9 ± 11.5 | 94.8 ± 6.1 | 124.0 ± 9.6 | 92.3 ± 11.2 | 116.7 ± 10.0β |
| WHR | 0.79 ± 0.07 | 0.88 ± 0.08 | 0.81 ± 0.06 | 0.85 ± 0.08 | 0.83 ± 0.08 | 0.89 ± 0.08 |
| Cardio-metabolic outcomes | ||||||
| SBP (mmHg) | 116.0 ± 16.1 | 114.2 ± 15.4 | 119.6 ± 17.4 | 118.6 ± 21.7 | 111.1 ± 15.7 | 108.9 ± 14.2γ |
| DBP (mmHg) | 73.9 ± 14.1 | 79.5 ± 12.1 | 74.9 ± 12.2 | 78.2 ± 11.3 | 64.2 ± 12.3α | 70.0 ± 11.6α γ |
| Glucose (mmol/l) | 5.5 ± 3.2 | 5.4 ± 0.8 | 4.1 ± 0.7α | 4.7 ± 0.9α | 5.6 ± 0.8δ | 5.6 ± 0.6δ |
| Cholesterol (mmol/l) | 4.3 ± 1.1 | 4.8 ± 0.9 | 4.1 ± 0.9 | 4.1 ± 0.8α | 4.0 ± 0.9 | 4.5 ± 0.9 |
| HDL-C (mmol/l) | 1.5 ± 0.5 | 1.3 ± 0.3 | 1.4 ± 0.6 | 1.1 ± 0.3α | 1.2 ± 0.4 | 1.1 ± 0.3α |
| LDL-C (mmol/l) | 2.5 ± 0.8 | 2.9 ± 0.8 | 2.4 ± 0.7 | 2.6 ± 0.7 | 2.4 ± 0.7 | 2.9 ± 0.8 |
| Triglycerides (mmol/l) | 0.74 ± 0.28 | 1.3 ± 0.5 | 0.77 ± 0.33 | 0.90 ± 0.43α | 0.78 ± 0.29 | 1.0 ± 0.50 |
| CRP (nmol/l) | 3.8 ± 7.6 | 8.1 ± 7.5 | 7.5 ± 14.3 | 7.9 ± 7.3 | 3.8 ± 10.8 | 8.4 ± 20.6 |
Values are mean ± SD. NW normal-weight, BMI body mass index, WHR waist/hip ratio, SBP systolic blood pressure, SBP diastolic blood pressure, HDL-C high density lipoprotein cholesterol, LDL-C low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, CRP C-reactive protein
α
Significantly different to US, within BMI category, p < 0.05
β
Significantly different to US, within BMI category, p < 0.001
γ
Significantly different to South Africa, within BMI category, p < 0.05
δ
Significantly different to South Africa, within BMI category, p < 0.001