Nutritional status and associations of anthropometric indicators with socioeconomic and demographic factors among adult males in three provinces in Vietnam: a cross-sectional study

Background: Males exhibit higher health-related risk behaviours compared to females but they have not been a prioritized group for nutritional research and interventions in Vietnam. This study aimed to determine the nutritional status of adult males and associations of the anthropometric indicators with demographic and socioeconomic factors. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 453 Vietnamese males aged ≥18 years. Weight, height, and waist circumference (WC) measurements were collected, and Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist to Height Ratio (WtHR) calculated. Demographic and socioeconomic data included age, ethnicity, marital status, education level, employment status, monthly household income, monthly personal income, monthly household food expenditure, and the total number of household possessions. Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 29.5% and 3.7%, respectively; abdominal adiposity, defined by WC >90 cm, and abdominal obesity, defined by WtHR ≥0.56 were 20.0% and 15.0%, respectively; and overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity was 16.7%. BMI was negatively associated with education level, while WtHR was positively associated with age and negatively associated with monthly household income. Conclusions: The findings highlight a high prevalence of overweight and obesity among adult males and the complex relationship between anthropometric measurements and demographic and socioeconomic factors. The results underscore the importance of considering these variables in public health strategies for improving nutritional status in males in Vietnam.