Abstract:
Abstract: Changes in sex hormone during the menopausal transition are thought to have an important impact
on weight gain. Obesity is known to be a determinant of health and disease; especially cardiovascular diseases.
We studied the waist circumference, body mass index and its correlation with the blood pressure of a sample
of menopausal women in Zaria. The height (m), weight (kg), waist circumference (cm) and blood pressure
(mmHg) of the women was assessed using standard methods, while the body mass index (BMI) in kg/m2
was
calculated. 165 subjects participated in the study, 77 were premenopausal women while 88 were
postmenopausal women with mean ages 25.51±0.60 and 53.59±0.65 years, respectively. The subjects were
selected based on some (ADD inclusion) exclusion criteria. Postmenopausal women were more likely to be
overweight (mean BMI 25.96±0.53 kg/m2
) compared with their premenopausal counterparts (23.13±0.57
kg/m2
); p<0.001. The menopausal women also had a higher waist circumference (93.04±1.60 cm) as compared
with the premenopausal women (78.87±1.30 cm); p<0.001. Only 73.86% of the postmenopausal women had
a BMI$25 kg/m2 whereas the prevalence of central obesity was 79%. However, there was a significant positive
correlation observed between waist circumference and the body mass index (p<0.05). These findings suggest
that obesity is prevalent among the menopausal women while the waist circumference was found to be a better
measure in assessing obesity and thus cardiovascular risk among menopausal women in Zaria. We recommend
the establishment of menopause clinics for early identification of women at risk and hence commencement of
intervention.
