Association between adiposity indices and hypertension in an urban population of adults in the north west region of Cameroon

The rising prevalence of obesity globally is becoming worrisome as excess weight is associated with hypertension and other adverse cardiovascular outcomes. This study therefore set out to determine the prevalence of hypertension in relation to some measures of adiposity (BMI, WC and WHtR) and to examine the association between blood pressure (BP) and the adiposity indices amongst adults in the North West Region of Cameroon. A community-based cross-sectional study involving 263 adults (mean age 35.6 ± 15.9 years) recruited through a random sampling technique. Anthropometric measurements and BP were measured following standard protocols. Linear regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between BP and measures of adiposity (BMI, WC, WHtR) amongst the study participants. The prevalence of hypertension in the study population was 42.2% (with 18.6 and 23.6% already in stage I and II respectively). A significant (p <0.05) difference in the mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) across the different measures of obesity were observed. A significant positive correlation (p <0.05) was found between BMI, WC and WHtR with systolic and diastolic BP. Linear regression showed a significant positive association (p < 0.05) between WC and systolic BP both in the unadjusted [WC (β = 0.75)] and adjusted analysis [WC (β = 0.56)]. In the contrast, BMI was significantly (p <0.05) associated with diastolic BP both in the adjusted [BMI (β = 0.38)] and unadjusted analysis [BMI (β = 0.39)]. It was found that WC was an independent predictor of hypertension in adults. Interventions should focus on the aspects of behavior (individual level) and culture (population level) which could play a vital role in reducing the prevalence of obesity and hypertension amongst adults in our setting.