BMC Public Health 2006, 6:228 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/6/228 2FDm0iiegs0ntu3rraiCbenuda2tmiwoenormooofenbnoBadduyurdlmtesanossoffuinDrdbieaxnbecCtaeatsemgBeoarrsoieolsinnb.eyFSianugdreivneggyrsooufptihne Distribution of body mass index categories by age group in men and women adults of urban Cameroon. Findings of the 2003 Cameroon Burden of Diabetes Baseline Survey. BMI (Body mass index, in kg/m2). values of weight, WC and HC increased markedly in ascending BMI and WHR categories, while WHR showed little change with BMI categories in both genders. Obesity and sociodemographic factors The association between education level and anthropo- metric measures are shown in table 4. The age-adjusted odd ratio of being overweight or obese or of having a high WC was increased with greater duration of education in both sexes, but particularly strongly in men. In men, hav- ing 7–14 years and more than 14 years of education increased the likelihood of overweight or obesity by about 2 and 3.5 fold respectively. In women, this gradient, although present, was less pronounced. WHR was weakly associated with level of education in men, and was weakly negatively associated with level of education in women. Discussion Excess body fat is well documented as being a risk factor for numerous chronic conditions such as diabetes, hyper- tension, hyperlipidaemia and cardiovascular diseases[18]. Studies of anthropometric measures among adult popula- 2PFm0riege0nvu3aralCnenda3mcweeoormofoOenbBaedusiurtdyltesansoofyifueDrldbieandbeCbtyeasmBBMearIso,eWolinnC.eFSianundrdivneWgysHoRf,thine Prevalence of Obesity as yielded by BMI, WC and WHR, in men and women adults of urban Cam- eroon. Findings of the 2003 Cameroon Burden of Diabetes Baseline Survey. BMI (Body Mass Index ≥ 30 kg/ m2), WC (Waist Circumference ≥ 102 cm in men and ≥ 88 cm in women), WHR (Waist-to-Hip ratio ≥ 1 in men and ≥ 0.85 in women). tions of sub-Saharan Africa countries are limited and weight, and BMI are the most common indicators which have been used to assess overweight and obesity preva- lence. The CamBoD Baseline Survey, was the first large scale study of cardiovascular risk factors, using standard- ized methodology, to be conducted in Cameroon, and the first using the WHO STEPS methodology from Sub-Saha- ran Africa. This study updates the data on overweight and obesity using a range of anthropometric parameters in the adult population of men and women living in urban area of Cameroon. This study highlights the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in Cameroon, whether measured by BMI, WC or WHR, and highlights the emergence of non-communi- cable diseases and their risk factors as major contributors to the burden of ill-health in Sub-Saharan Africa, particu- larly among urban populations. Page 5 of 8 (page number not for citation purposes)