| Summary: | The prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically in the past decade. This
foreshadows an increase in the rates of morbidity and mortality from obesity related
diseases. The high prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) is a problem throughout
the world as well as in South Africa The process of urbanisation of Africans from rural
to urban areas is exposing the African population to Western lifestyles, with an increase
in the incidence of CHD being reported. Research is more frequently proposing that
obesity may be seen as a factor linking elevated C-reactive protein (CRP)
concentrations and atherosclerosis. CRP is an acute phase reactant and a sensitive
marker for acute and chronic inflammation of diverse causes. This poses the question
of whether the increased risk of diabetes, CHD and many other chronic diseases in the
obese might be explained by a state of chronic systemic inflammation.
The purpose of this study was, therefore, firstly to determine whether there is an
association between CRP concentrations and body composition in 19 to 60 year old
black women. Partial Pearson correlations coefficients were used to determine
associations between CRP and several body composition variables. Body mass index
(BMI), waist circumference, percentage body fat and waist-hip-ratio (WHR) were all
significantly correlated with CRP throughout the anthropometric spectrum. An analysis
of variance (ANOVA) with a Games-Howell post hoc test was done to determine
statistically significant differences among the different categories within each of the
body composition variables. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found within the
categories of all the measured body composition variables, except for the various WHR
categories. During a signal detection analysis, BMI was identified as the best predictor
of increased CRP concentrations at a cut-off point of 27.68 kg/m2.
The second purpose of this study was to assess the relationship of CRP to traditional
cardiovascular risk factors in the study's population sample of 19 to 60 year old black
women. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to analyse log-normalized CRP
concentrations as the dependent variable in relation to several variables which form part
of the traditional risk factors for CHD. All of the variables were significantly correlated
with CRP at the level of p ≤ 0.05, except for total cholesterol and low-density
lipoprotein cholesterol. BMI, percentage body fat and fibrinogen levels were associated
with InCRP at a practically significant level of r ≥ 0.5. BMI and fibrinogen were also
found to be independently associated with InCRP with p ≤ 0.05 during a forward
stepwise multiple linear regression analysis. Within this study's population sample, it
was found that those women who presented with six traditional risk factors had a three
to five-fold increase in CRF' concentrations compared to women with three or less risk
factors. Further research is required to determine appropriate intervention programmes
which could prevent or reduce the incidence of CHD among the obese by means of
weight-loss, therefore, potentially lowering elevated CRP concentrations. === Thesis (M.Sc. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.
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