[Prevalence of obesity in the Republic of Daghestan].

Monitoring of body mass in the dwellers of this or that region is of indisputable value for practical public health. The sample size (n = 1,500) required to study of the prevalence of obesity among the population was calculated in terms of the size of the population of the Republic of Daghestan, by using the well-known formula. The median of age was 27 years, from 14 to 79 years, its mean was 34 years; the standard deviation was 17.4. The distribution of the obtained values of the body mass index did not correspond to the normal values. The median of body mass indices was 23.9 from 13.95 to 50.15 respectively; quartiles (25%:75%) were 21.45:27.56; percentiles (5%:95%) were (18.59 33.98); the mean was 24.87; the standard deviation was 4.83%. Out of the 1,500 examinees, 65 (4.3%) persons had a low body mass; 801 (53.4%) had a normal body mass; and 416 (27.7%) had an excessive one. Obesity was observed in 218 (14.5%) examinees, including first-, second-, and third-degree obesity in 164 (10.9%), 43 (2.9%), and 11 (0.7%) examinees, respectively. There were some differences (statistically insignificant in some cases) in body mass and obesity in relation to the place of residence (a climatic and geographical zone, town-village), gender, and ethnicity.