Obesity is highly prevalent and strongly associated with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease in a large community-based sample in Türkiye, with adjusted population attributable fractions of 31.5%, 25.8%, and 26.1% respectively.
The prevalence of obesity among adults in Amasya, northern Türkiye was 29.9%, with a significantly higher prevalence among women than men.
The prevalences of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease were substantially higher among individuals with obesity than among those without obesity.
After adjustment for age and sex, obesity was significantly associated with higher odds of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.
The adjusted population attributable fractions of obesity were substantial for all three chronic conditions.
Age significantly modified the associations between obesity and all three chronic conditions, while no significant interaction with sex was observed.
This research suggests that obesity is a widespread health problem in Amasya, a city in northern Türkiye, affecting nearly 1 in 3 adults and being considerably more common in women (about 36%) than men (about 24%). The study, which included more than 22,000 adults surveyed in summer 2025, also found that diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease were all far more common among people with obesity than among those without it. After accounting for differences in age and sex, people with obesity were nearly three times as likely to have diabetes, two and a half times as likely to have high blood pressure, and more than twice as likely to have cardiovascular disease. One of the study's key findings involves 'population attributable fractions' — a measure of how much of a disease burden in the entire community can be statistically linked to a specific risk factor. This research suggests that roughly 31.5% of all diabetes cases, 25.8% of hypertension cases, and 26.1% of cardiovascular disease cases in this population are attributable to obesity. This means that if obesity could be eliminated, roughly one-quarter to one-third of these chronic diseases might be prevented at the population level. The researchers also found that age changed the strength of the relationship between obesity and these diseases, though sex did not. These findings matter because they provide region-specific evidence that obesity is not just an individual health concern but a major driver of serious chronic diseases at the community level. This research supports the development of public health strategies and policies focused on healthy weight promotion, lifestyle modification, and population-wide prevention efforts in Türkiye and potentially in similar settings elsewhere.
Ersoy Şen B, Yılmaz M, Taştan M. (2026). Population burden of diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease attributable to obesity: a community-based study in Türkiye.. Frontiers in public health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1963530