Health, Body Composition, and Nutrition Research Among Women in Kazakhstan

Understanding Women's Health in Kazakhstan: Body Composition as a Key Indicator for Precision Nutrition and Predictive Healthcare

This study aims to investigate the association between dietary intake, physical activity, sleep quality, and body composition in women in Kazakhstan. The study will recruit approximately 200 women aged 20 years and older undergoing routine DEXA examinations in Astana. Participants will complete validated questionnaires assessing diet, physical activity, sleep quality, and sarcopenia risk, alongside functional assessments. DEXA scans will provide measurements of fat mass, lean mass, visceral adipose tissue, bone mineral density, and appendicular skeletal muscle mass. The primary objective is to evaluate associations between dietary quality and DEXA-derived outcomes. Secondary objectives include assessing sarcopenia prevalence and examining relationships between physical activity, sleep quality, supplement use, and body composition. An optional second stage will explore associations between body composition and existing inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers from medical records. The findings are expected to provide the first comprehensive DEXA-based dataset on women's body composition and lifestyle factors in Kazakhstan and inform public health strategies.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female sex
• Age ≥20 years at the time of consent
• Natural postmenopause (≥12 consecutive months of amenorrhoea not attributable to other pathological or pharmacological causes) OR surgical postmenopause (bilateral oophorectomy)
• Resident of Astana or the surrounding region with no planned relocation during the study period
• Able to provide written informed consent independently
• Able to complete the questionnaire in Kazakh, Russian, or English

Exclusion Criteria:

• Active malignancy or systemic anti-cancer treatment (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy) within the past 5 years
• Conditions causing secondary changes in muscle mass or body composition: hyperthyroidism (untreated), Cushing's syndrome, acromegaly, severe liver disease (Child-Pugh B or C), advanced chronic kidney disease (Stage 4 or 5, eGFR <30 ml/min/1.73 m²)
• Neuromuscular disorders that independently affect skeletal muscle mass (e.g., myopathy, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis)
• Long-term systemic corticosteroid therapy (>3 months in the past year, equivalent to ≥5 mg/day prednisolone)
• Severe skeletal deformity (kyphoscoliosis, limb absence) or presence of metallic implants (hip or knee prosthesis on both sides, bilateral rods) that would significantly compromise DEXA body composition validity
• Physical inability to stand or to complete the functional assessments safely
• Cognitive impairment or psychiatric condition precluding independent informed consent, as determined by the recruiting research team member