The prevalence of overweight and its association with heart disease in the U.S population

Abstract

Abstract:  Obesity (BMI greater than 30.0 kg/m2) is always a trending public health problem and different studies have linked it to the development of heart diseases. However, overweight (BMI between 25.0 kg/m2 and less than 30.0 kg/m2) has very few studies linking it to the development of heart diseases, coupled with the overweight/obesity paradox phenomena which still causes controversy. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to determine the relationship between overweight and congestive heart failure/coronary heart diseases in the United States. To determine this relationship, the 2011–2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) dataset, which surveyed 9756 individuals in the United States was utilized. The dataset was analyzed using Software for Statistics and Data Software (STATA) and Pearson’s chi-squared test. The p-value using the t-test command in STATA for all these variables was <0.001, which indicated that there is a significant relationship between overweight and congestive heart failure/coronary heart disease across gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Although the development of congestive heart failure/coronary heart disease in overweight individuals was confirmed with this study, it is surprising to realize that the socioeconomic status of an individual also plays a role. Further research is necessary to determine how a lower or higher socioeconomic status causes overweight leading to heart diseases.

Keywords:

• Overweight
• cardiovascular disease
• obesity
• epidemiology
• Public Health

PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT

When people think about weight gain leading to an increased risk of adverse health conditions, attention is usually focused on the impact of obesity. While there have been many research studies that have specifically observed the adverse health effects of obesity, few studies have focused on the subtle but significant individual and population-level impact of a person being overweight. It was not until when the Body Mass Index (BMI) category of an individual being above 30 kg/m2 (obese), before they are predisposed to risk factors that can affect their health status. The overweight category (BMI: 25.0 kg/m2–29.9 kg/m2) has many adverse effects on an individual’s health. This article examines the association of overweight and heart disease, as it affects the U.S population.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available in National Center for Health Statistics at https://wwwn.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/default.aspx. These data were derived from the following resources available in the public domain: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/continuousnhanes/default.aspx?BeginYear=2011.

Additional information

Funding

The author received no direct funding for this research.

Notes on contributors

Seun Osundolire

Seun Osundolire holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from Windsor University School of Medicine, St. Kitts and he is a Nigerian licensed physician. He completed a Master of Public Health Degree from MCPHS University, Boston and this study was his master’s degree culminating experience project. His research interest is in the areas of chronic disease epidemiology and pharmacoepidemiology, as it affects different vulnerable populations such as the elderly, those with chronic health conditions, racial and ethnic minorities and the economically disadvantaged. The study goal was to highlight the prevalence and association of overweight and heart disease in the U.S population. The relevance and importance of the study can be viewed from both a clinical and public health perspective with the translation of epidemiological evidence to policy and practice recommendation to impact change with knowledge generated