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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 middleage
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, José; Bragada, José A.; Bragada, João P.; Coelho, Joana; Pinto, Isabel C.; 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 (CECON 2021). Budapest
Publisher
GUARANT International