SCREENING FOR OBESITY IN TAJIKISTAN ADULT POPULATION: A PILOT PROJECT IN SELECTED DISTRICTS
Authors:   Department of Epidemiology named by Professor Kh.K. Rafiev, Avicenna Tajik State Medical University, Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan, ABDULLOZODA S.M. , USMANOVA G.M. ,   Department of Epidemiology named by Professor Kh.K. Rafiev, Avicenna Tajik State Medical University, Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan
Published: September 2023

Objective: Screening for overweight (OW) and obesity (OB), as well as possible risk factors (RFs) for their development among the adult population of Tajikistan in the context of pilot areas. Methods: OW and OB screening was conducted on 1304 participants (718 females, 586 males) with a mean age of 41.1±13.6 residing in Dushanbe and rural areas of Rudaki and Gissar districts (pilot areas) in the Republic of Tajikistan without prior randomization. Based on the anthropometric measurements taken, it was determined that the participants have OW and OB. All respondents gave voluntary written consent to participate in this screening program. Notably, the respondents received no financial or other rewards that could impact the study results. Results: Out of a total of 1,306 respondents, 74 (5.68%) were identified as underweight, with 33 males (5.63%) and 41 females (5.71%), p>0.05; 637 (48.85%) had normal body weight (NBW), with 338 males (57.67%) and 299 females (41.64%), p<0.001. OW was found in 330 respondents (25.3%) with 207 females (28.83%) and 123 males (20.98%), p<0.01; OB of various degrees was found in 263 respondents (20.17%) with 171 females (23.81%) and 92 males (15.69%), p<0.001. Among males, OB classes II and III were almost as common as among females, while OB class I was 3.7 times more prevalent in females (17.13% vs. 4.61%, p<0.001). The prevalence of OB class II was 5.01% and 0.34%, while OB class III was 4.09% and 1.67% in females and males, respectively (p>0.05). On average, waist circumference was 90.6±18.3 cm, hips were 99.5±17.4 cm, and neck was 34.2±6.1 cm in this cohort. The average waist circumference in this cohort was 90.6±18.3 cm, hips were 99.5±17.4 cm, and neck was 34.2±6.1 cm. OW was most often noted among residents of rural areas (n=308; 47.3%) compared with urban residents (n=285; 43.6%), p<0.001. A study comparing the occurrence of OW and OB between urban and rural residents found that the rural population had higher rates of both, with OW at 25.7% (p<0.001) and OB at 21.7%, compared to 24.9% (p<0.001) and 18.7% for the capital residents, respectively. Significant RFs for the development of OW and OB among the examined cohort include female gender, young age (18-44 years), smoking, frequent food consumption (more than 5 times a day), high intake of bakery products and sweets, a tendency to overeat upon breaking fasting during Ramadan, daily stress, and sedentary work. Conclusion: Screening results indicate that 45.5% of adults in the country are OW (25.3%) or OB (20.2%). OW mainly affects young and middle-aged men living in urban areas and young and middle-aged women in rural areas. The need to promote a healthy lifestyle, healthy eating, and physical activity among the population of Tajikistan is evident from the results. Keywords: Overweight, obesity, screening, risk factors.