International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health 1514 2017 | Vol 6 | Issue 10 International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health 1514 2017 | Vol 6 | Issue 10 Obesity and comorbid conditions: An urban population-based cross- sectional study in Northwest India Renu Rani 1 , Rajiv Kumar Gupta 2 , Parveen Singh 2 , Rashmi Kumari 2 , Harsh K Sharma 1 , Riya Gupta 3 1 Medical Officer, J&K Health Services, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India, 2 Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India, 3 Acharya Shri Chander College of Medical Sciences and Hospital, Sidhra, Jammu, J&K, India Correspondence to: Rajiv Kumar Gupta, E-mail: rajivguptagmc@rediffmail.com Received: July 21, 2017; Accepted: August 08, 2017 INTRODUCTION The past century witnessed a tremendous progress in the field of science and technology. This resulted in making the life a lot easier for the people worldwide along with the emergence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) epidemic in the form of cardiovascular disorders, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and obesity among others. [1] NCDs are emerging as a major health challenge in South Asians, which encompass residents of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and Maldives, constituting 24% of the world’s population. [2] Access this article online Website: http://www.ijmsph.com Quick Response code DOI: 10.5455/ijmsph.2017.000718108082017001 Obesity was recognized as a major health problem in 1998. [3] Obesity, which made its presence felt first in the Northern Hemisphere, has now taken a pandemic look affecting practically almost all the countries of the globe. Obesity is not just limited to urban and affluent society but also affects the rural places and persons belonging to the lower socioeconomic strata. Body mass index (BMI) has been one of the easiest ways to determine the transition of a person from normal weight to obesity. It is simple to calculate, and it categorizes a person as underweight, normal, overweight, and obese with its stages. [4] Overweight and obesity substantially increase the risk of premature morbidity and mortality due to excess body fat accumulation which affects individuals health negatively. [5] Obesity contributes to numerous and varied comorbid conditions. Complications can occur in many organ systems, ranging from cardiovascular to respiratory Background: Obesity of late has become a challenge for public health planners both in developing as well as the developed nations. Obesity has assumed pandemic proportions worldwide. Objectives: (1) To determine the prevalence of obesity in urban adults aged 30 years and above. (2) To find the common comorbid conditions associated with obesity. Material and Methods: Using systematic random sampling, the current cross-sectional study was conducted among urban adults ≥ 30 years of age using a pre-designed, pre-tested, and pre-structured questionnaire. Information regarding sociodemographic profile and current health status were recorded. Anthropometric data regarding height and weight were also taken. The data thus collected were analysed, and Chi-square was used as the test of significance. Results: Overall prevalence of obesity and overweight in both sexes was 26.43% and 43.69%, respectively. Hypertension was the most common comorbid condition. Among the various risk factors, age, sex, and socioeconomic status were significantly associated with body mass index (BMI) (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The trends show a high prevalence of both obesity as well as overweight which is a cause of concern. Therefore, the need for early detection to prevent obesity-associated complications is of prime concern. Despite emergence of new tools, BMI remains safe and effective tool not only to calculate but also to detect pre-obesity at an incipient stage. KEY WORDS: Body Mass Index; Obesity, Comorbid Conditions; Urban Area ABSTRACT International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health Online 2017. © 2017 Renu Rani et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license. Research Article