The double burden of malnutrition and cardiometabolic risk widens the gender and socio-economic health gap: a study among adults in burkina faso (west africa)

OBJECTIVE: To document the double burden of malnutrition and cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRF) in adults and its occurrence according to different sociodemographic parameters.

DESIGN: Population-based cross-sectional observational study. We first randomly selected 330 households stratified by tertile of the income levels proxy as low, middle and high income.

SETTING: Northern district of Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso.

SUBJECTS: In each income stratum, 110 individuals aged 25-60 years and who had lived permanently in Ouagadougou for at least 6 months were randomly selected, followed with collection of anthropometric, socio-economic and clinical data, and blood samples.

RESULTS: The overall obesity/overweight prevalence was 24·2 % and it was twice as high in women as in men (34·1 % v. 15·5 %, P < 0·001). Hypertension, hyperglycaemia and low HDL cholesterol prevalence was 21·9 %, 22·3 % and 30·0 %, respectively, without gender difference. The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was 10·3 %. Iron depletion and vitamin A deficiency affected 15·7 % and 25·7 % of participants, respectively, with higher rates in women. Coexistence of at least one nutritional deficiency and one CMRF was observed in 23·5 % of participants, and this 'double burden' was significantly higher in women than in men (30·4 % v. 16·1 %, P = 0·008) and in the low income group.

CONCLUSIONS: CMRF are becoming a leading nutritional problem in adults of Ouagadougou, while nutritional deficiencies persist. The double nutritional burden exacerbates health inequities and calls for action addressing both malnutrition and nutrition-related chronic diseases.