Women with obesity in Middle East have elevated risk for hypertension, other conditions
Key takeaways:
- Among young women in the Middle East, overweight and obesity were tied to hypertension, diabetes and other conditions.
- Tailored preventive strategies are needed, according to the researchers.
Among younger women in the Middle East, those with overweight or obesity were more likely to have hypertension, diabetes and pregnancy-related issues than those without it, according to data from the ANCORS-YW study.
“Young Middle Eastern women who are obese or overweight are facing a higher risk for the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and its associated risk factors like hypertension and type 2 diabetes,” Mohammad Adnan Bani Baker, MD, a medical doctor at Prince Hamza Hospital in Amman, Jordan, and a member of the faculty of medicine at Mutah University, who presented the findings at ACC Middle East 2024, said in a press release.
Bani Baker and colleagues conducted the ANCORS-YW study matching 209 Middle Eastern women with ASCVD with 418 Middle Eastern women without ASCVD. The mean age of the entire cohort was 42.9 years. Participants were stratified by BMI: overweight/obesity vs. underweight/normal. Women with overweight/obesity were older than women with underweight or normal BMI (OR = 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02-1.1; P = .001).
Compared with women with underweight or normal BMI, those with overweight or obesity were more likely to have hypertension (31.43% vs. 23.78%; P < .001), diabetes (19.52% vs. 10.49%), hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (26.67% vs. 18.18%; P = .026) and persistent weight gain after pregnancy (16.19% vs. 9.09%; P < .001), according to the researchers.
Women with overweight or obesity were more likely to have a low level of education (58.57% vs. 49.65%; P < .001) but less likely to smoke (37.06% vs. 33.33%; P < .001), the researchers found.
In a multivariable logistic regression analysis, women with overweight or obesity were more likely to have hypertension (OR = 2.22; 95% CI, 1.45-3.4; P < .001) diabetes (OR = 2.72; 95% CI, 1.53-4.83; P = .001) persistent weight gain after pregnancy (OR = 2.84; 95% CI, 1.54-5.22; P = .001) and a low level of education (OR = 1.91; 95% CI, 1.31-2.78; P < .001) compared with women with underweight or normal BMI, according to the researchers.
“This demographic is often underrepresented in global research and literature especially when it comes to the Middle East, despite the region’s high rates of obesity and cardiovascular disease. I was drawn to this topic because of the alarming rise in these conditions in Middle Eastern women, which poses a significant public health challenge,” Bani Baker said in the release. “It is our hope that this study would bring attention and call for more targeted interventions to protect this vulnerable population.”
Bani Baker said in the release that the results call for a multifaceted intervention including lifestyle modification programs, public health campaigns, educational programs and socioeconomic support.
“Tailored preventive strategies, informed by gender-specific factors, are essential for achieving global cardiovascular health objectives,” he said in the release. “Our findings help health care providers to develop earlier prevention programs and raise awareness regarding the importance of weight management.”
Reference:
- New study links obesity to elevated hypertension risk among young Middle Eastern women. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1060898. Published Oct. 15, 2024. Accessed Oct. 15, 2024.
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Bani Baker M, et al. Abstract 1868759. Presented at: ACC Middle East; Oct. 16-18, 2024 (virtual meeting).
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