00000ctm a22000004a 4500 UP-1685523046125428778 Buklod 20230503092606.0 a r |||| u| ta 071031s xx d r |||| u| (iLib)UPMNL-00000056199 LG995 1997 E62 A45 Alicante-Duante, Charmaine Distribution and correlates of high waist-hip ratio in adults in selected rural areas in Sto. Tomas, Batangas Charmaine Alicante-Duante. 95 leaves. Thesis (Master of Science in Epidemiology)--University of the Philippines Manila. The waist-hip ratio (WHR), a simple indicator of abdominal obesity has been found to be closely related with metabolic abnormalities like CVD, stroke, NIDDM and other risk factors to CVD in both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Because of the scarcity of information on this anthropometric measure in the country, a need was felt to study this indicator in the Philippine setting. The distribution of WHR and correlates of a high WHR and correlates of a high WHR were investigated among adults aged 30-60 years in four selected rural areas in Sto. Tomas, Batangas. A total of four hundred ninety one (491) men and seven hundred thirty nine (739) women were studied with the exclusion of pregnant women. The distribution of study participants by WHR and the different categories of independent variables related to WHR were described as symmetrical. Among obese, overweight and sedentary male individuals, the distributions could be described as skewed to the left which showed that greater proportions of these group of individuals were found to be with high WHR values. Findings of this study showed that abdominal obesity was present in the study population. Another important clinical findings of this study was the higher prevalence of overweight and obesity in the study population. Using the recommended WHR cut-off point of equal to or more than 0.91 for males and equal to or more than 0.81 for females, 64.2 of males and 71.2 of females were found to be with high WHR. It was also shown in this study that the prevalence of high WHR was significantly higher among females than males. Several factors were found to be related with a high WHR. Among males, age, educational level and total obesity as measured by BMI were found to be significant correlates of a high WHR. As the males get older, the risk of having WHR becomes greater. Educational level behaved in contrary to the findings of many that WHR is inversely proportional to the level of education. Moreover, the risk of having high WHR among those who were overweight and obese was 4.2 than those who were of normal BMI. Smoking status alone did not contribute in an increase in WHR, however, the risk of having high WHR was 12.6 times higher among overweight and obese smokers than those who were not overweight nor obese and at the same time not a smoker. On the other hand, factors related to a high WHR among females were age, civil status and BMI. Females as they grow older, the WHR becomes low. Those who were married were 4.7 times more likely to become android (high WHR) than those who were single and similarly, those who were overweight and obese were 4.7 times at risk of having high WHR than those with normal BMI. Being a chronic energy deficient had a protective effect against having a high WHR. These significant correlates of high WHR may pose a public health warning for the presence of abdominal obesity and the subsequent development of diseases related to a high WHR. Information regarding these factors may also serve as a guide for health planners in the formulation of preventive and control programs for obesity and its related health risks. Some recommendations regarding WHR were drawn from this study. The prevalence figures of high WHR among different population groups adress to some important issues on the interaction of genetics and the environment on obesity and fat distribution. Genetics as well as the environment may also influence the health conditions of different races and ethnic groups. Another issue is the adoption of different cut-off points for defining a high WHR. Studies in the future should be directed towards these areas of research. Moreover, the conduct of longitudinal studies on behavioral variables like smoking status, alcohol consumption and physical activity would be more effective in clarifying any causal role to a high WHR. Future studies should also continue to assess the relationship between WHR and other risk factors of CVD like hypertension, hyperlipidemia and even CVD and diabetes mellitus. Obesity. UPMNL CPH LG995 1997 E62 A45 Thesis