Ersan BERKSEL, Sevil ALBAYRAK, Gülşen ÖZDURAN
Cyprus Journal of Medical Sciences - 2026;11(2):167-175
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Obesity has become a serious public health problem in several countries, including North Cyprus. The aim of this study was to determine the anthropometric measurements of Turkish Cypriots and evaluate the association between obesity and comorbidities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Blood pressure, weight, height, and waist circumference (WC) measurements were obtained by the same physician during home visits to the participants. Socio-demographic characteristics, smoking and alcohol consumption habits, physical activity levels, dietary patterns, and previously diagnosed conditions, including type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease (CHD), and hypertension (HT), were assessed. RESULTS: The mean body mass index (BMI) was 26.69+/-5.65 kg/m² in females and 28.32+/-4.71 kg/m² in males. Among participants aged 18-39, the mean BMI was 25.05+/-6.19 kg/m² in females and 27.63+/-4.62 kg/m² in males. The overall prevalence of obesity was 27.4%, with rates of 24.9% among females and 30.1% among males. The prevalence of excess weight was 64.3% overall, occurring in 55.3% of females and 74.4% of males. Abdominal obesity was present in 47.4% of participants, affecting 45.5% of females and 49.5% of males. An increase in both the prevalence and the number of cases of HT, dyslipidemia, CHD, and type 2 diabetes mellitus was observed in parallel with increases in BMI and WC. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of both general and abdominal obesity is high in North Cyprus. As BMI and WC increased, both the prevalence of comorbidities and their number increased.
