Obesity: is it a problem in black Africans in Zimbabwe?

The body mass indices (BMIs) and waist: hip (W:H) ratios of 1,509 Black Africans were assessed to determine whether or not obesity is a problem in this population, as this information is scanty. Measurements of weight, height, waist and hip circumferences were done in three provinces of Zimbabwe, sampling rural and urban dwellers separately. The results showed that the ranges of BMIs and W:H ratios for all age groups (24-30 kg/sq m, W:H < 1, for males; and 20-26 kg/sq W:H < 1 for females) were below the lower limits of international values for obesity, where obesity is defined as BMI > 30 kg/sq or W:H > 1. This finding suggests that obesity is not a problem in adult Black Africans of Zimbabwe. Women, however, were overweight (BMI = 25-30 kg/sq m) and had larger mean waist circumferences. They were, therefore, at greater risk of health problems associated with abdominal adiposity. We suggest that clinicians, pharmacists, researchers and medical scientists should use local indices in the light of lower values observed in the present study.