Hiding in the shadows of the HIV epidemic: obesity and hypertension in a rural population with very high HIV prevalence in South Africa

Bärnighausen, T., Welz, T., Hosegood, V., Bätzing-Feigenbaum, J., Tanser, F., Herbst, K., Hill, C. and Newell, M-L. (2008) Hiding in the shadows of the HIV epidemic: obesity and hypertension in a rural population with very high HIV prevalence in South Africa. Journal of Human Hypertension, 22 (3), 236-239. (doi:10.1038/sj.jhh.1002308). (PMID:18046436)

Abstract

We conducted a large population-based survey of body mass and blood pressure nested within an HIV survey in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, to measure the prevalence of obesity and hypertension in a community with very high HIV prevalence and to investigate the effect of HIV on body mass and blood pressure in a general population in rural Africa before antiretroviral treatment was widely available. Crude prevalence of overweight, obesity, stage-I and stage-II hypertension was 58% (95% confidence interval (CI) 56–60%), 32% (95% CI 30–33%), 24% (95% CI 22–26%) and 9% (95% CI 8–10%), respectively. Controlling for age, sex, education, household wealth, marital status and rural vs urban residence in multiple regression (after multiple imputation of missing values), HIV infection reduced body mass index by 1.9 units (P<0.001) and––when additionally controlling for body mass––systolic blood pressure by 3.0?mm?Hg (P=0.005).

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Contributors

Author: V. Hosegood

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