Obesity and associated factors in a Palestinian West Bank village population

To describe body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and waist-hip ratio in a Palestinian West Bank village population, and to assess the associations of these variables to blood pressure and serum lipids.

Cross-sectional study.

Community-based study in a prototypic semi-rural Palestinian village in the central West Bank.

All individuals aged 30-65 y in the study village were invited for the study and 500 (85%) participated.

BMI > or = 30 was used as the measure of obesity.

The prevalence of obesity was 37.5% among women and 18.8% among men. The prevalence of abdominal obesity was 62.5% among women and 14.8% among men. BMI seemed to be the more important correlate of blood pressure whereas waist-hip ratio seemed to be the more important correlate of serum triglycerides, compared to the other obesity measures.

The prevalence of obesity in the study population was very high compared to most other countries in the world, particularly among women.

The study was funded by the Norwegian Universities' Committee for Development Research (NUFU). LCM Stene was supported by a grant from the Throne Holst Foundation.