Obesity in Tibetans Aged 30–70 Living at Different Altitudes under the North and South Faces of Mt. Everest

Lhamo Y. Sherpa, Deji, Hein Stigum, Virasakdi Chongsuvivatwong, Dag S. Thelle and Espen Bjertness
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Lhamo Y. Sherpa: Section for Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Oslo, Frederik Holsts hus, Ulleval terrasse, Kirkeveien 166, 0450 Oslo, Norway
Deji: Tibet University Medical College, No.1 Loubulinka Road, Lhasa, Xizang 850002, China
Hein Stigum: Section for Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Oslo, Frederik Holsts hus, Ulleval terrasse, Kirkeveien 166, 0450 Oslo, Norway
Virasakdi Chongsuvivatwong: Epidemiology Unit, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla 90110, Thailand
Dag S. Thelle: Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Espen Bjertness: Section for Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Oslo, Frederik Holsts hus, Ulleval terrasse, Kirkeveien 166, 0450 Oslo, Norway

IJERPH, 2010, vol. 7, issue 4, 1-11

Abstract: Risk factors for chronic diseases in Tibetans may be modified due to hypobaric hypoxia. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of obesity at varying altitudes of 1,200, 2,900 and 3,700 meters above sea-level in Tibet and Nepal; to estimate the effect of altitude on body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). Three cross-sectional studies with simple random sampling were performed on 617 men and women. BMI, WC and WHtR decreased with increasing altitude. It is likely that the physical conditions such as low temperatures and low oxygen levels have a direct catabolic effect.

Keywords: obesity; WHtR; BMI; waist circumference; Tibetans; Tibet; Everest; Nepal (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
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