PHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES IN FAT NIGERIAN SUBJECTS ON A WEIGHT REDUCTION PROGRAMME

Abstract

Awareness among Nigerians, concerning their body weights, is evident in the proliferation of commercial weight reduction clinics. Various attempts at weight reduction have been unsuccessful in the maintenance of the weight lost (Gotto et al, 1982). The latter could make fat people become disillusioned with the ineffectiveness of several weight - shedding prescriptions. Failure in treatment has persisted largely as a result of poor understanding of obesity. The first objective of this study was to determine the knowledge about, and the attitudes of the population to fatness. The second objective was to examine some anthropometric and physiological parameters in a population desiring to shed body weight, and the effect of a weight reduction programme on these parameters. The measuring instrument in determining the knowledge and attitudes towards fatness was an anonymous questionnaire. Sixty-eight male and female normotensive, non-diabetic Nigerian subjects (aged 18-50 years), took part in the weight reduction programme which lasted 20 weeks. The subjects were divided into three groups. Group 1 (n = 29) included those who took part in the weight reduction programme consisting of nutritional advice and increased physical activity. Group 2 (n = 20) consisted of subjects placed on nutritional advice only, while Group 3 (n = 19) included subjects who were on the waiting list before receiving treatment. The weight reduction programme was designed to meet the recommended therapeutic guidelines for professional weight control programmes, established by the international Congress on Obesity (Weinsier et al, 1984). The exercise programme was held twice a week, for one hour, and consisted of warm up exercises and brisk walking, among others. The parameters measured included body weight and skin fold thickness at the triceps, biceps, subscapular, suprailiac and abdominal levels. The responses of 553 adult Nigerians to the questionnaire were evaluated. While 67.99% of the respondents believed they were fat, 56.42% would love to shed some weight. 71.43% of the respondents would hate to be fat or fatter than what they were. 292 respondents (52.8%) had received some adverse comments about their body weights from members of the society. The fat individual was seen as weak (67.27%), to be pitied (62.39%), ugly (65.82%) and an Introvert (64.02%). As to the causes of fatness, 56.06% of the population believed that fat people generally eat more, 59.13% believed that it was genetic, while 53.71% believed it was due to inactivity. 418 respondents (75.59%) had made various attempts at shedding or controlling their body weights. Such attempts included self medication (52.87%) attending commercial weight reduction clinics (16.99%), and a combination of both (7.90%). At the end of the 20-week weight reduction programme, changes noted in participants in Group 1(n - 24) included a 5.43% decrease in mean body weight. (p > 0.10), and a 3.22% decrease in percent body fat (p > 0.25). There was also a decrease in the mean abdominal skin fold by 11 .46% (p < 0.05), and in the mean of the sum of five skin folds from 99.47mm to 91.74mm (p < 0.05). In addition, there was a 8.75% decrease in SBP (p<0.01),a 6.9% decrease in DBP (p < 0.02), 13.3% reduction in the resting pulse product(p < 0.001). There were significant increases in the mean FEV₁ from 1.7L to 2.41L, and mean FVC From 2.3L to 3.1L (p< 0.001).Similarly, there was 10.8% decrease in mean breathing rate (p<0.02). A decrease was also noted in the mean fasting blood glucose from 51.417 to 46.042mg/100ml (p < 0.02). There was a 7.26% decrease in the some of glucose levels during the OGTT (p<0.001). Changes among subjects in Groups 2 and 3 were also noted though they were not as significant when compared with Group 1. The relevance of the changes brought about by gradually incorporating increased physical activity into the day to day patterns of living of the subjects is discussed.