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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
The prevalence of central and abdominal obesity has been increasing over last decades in developed
countries. As well, the high prevalence of obesity in Portugal has already been documented, however it
is need to better understand the prevalence in each region of the country. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of the overweight, central obesity and abdominal obesity in middle-age in an inland
region of Northeast Portuguese.
Methods: A descriptive and cross-sectional community sample was collected from two Portuguese primary
health care centres between January 2019 and December 2020. A total of 673 individuals aged 40–65 years
were included for analysis, among which 400 women (53.34 ± 7.33 years) and 273 men (53.01 ± 7.20 years).
Prevalence of overweight, central obesity and abdominal obesity were analysed across sexes using body mass
index and waist circumference. Categorical variables were expressed by counts and proportions with a 95%
confidence interval (CI). Chi-squared test or fisher exact test were applied whenever appropriate. To compare
continuous variables independent sample t-test or Mann-Whitney U test were used. Statistical significance
was set at p < 0.05.
Results: The prevalence of overweight, central obesity and abdominal obesity in this cross-sectorial sample
were 41.01%, 30.61% and 67.20%, respectively. Significant differences among men and women were found
for abdominal obesity (p < 0.001). Women presented a higher prevalence of abdominal obesity (67.5%). Men
have higher prevalence of overweight (48.72%) and central obesity (31.14%) than women (35.75% and 30.25%,
respectively). However, differences were not statistically significant between sexes for overweight and central
obesity (p ≥ 0.05).
Conclusion: A higher prevalence of overweight, central obesity and abdominal obesity was reported for middle-
age adults in this inland region of Northeast Portuguese. Our data suggest a higher prevalence of all three
clinical conditions, comparing previous Portuguese epidemiological studies. Current report provides the study
pilot for a more detailed epidemiological research. Also, preliminary findings emphasise the importance of
implementing physical activity programmes and promoting healthy lifestyles to tackling this growing public
health problem.
Description
Keywords
Obesity Body Mass Index Waist Circumference Regional Epidemiology
Citation
Teixeira, J.E.; Bragada, José A.; Bragada, João P.; Coelho, Joana; Pinto, Isabel; Reis, Luís P.; Magalhães, Pedro (2021). Overweight, central obesity and abdominal obesity in middle-age adults in an inland region of Northeast Portuguese: a pilot study. In 8th Central European Congress on Obesity: book of abstracts. Prague
Publisher
GUARANT International