Introduction

The objective of this project was to describe the prevalence and factors associated with abdominal obesity in adults aged 20 to 59 in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil.

Material and Methods

This is a cross-sectional epidemiological study with a representative sample of the adult population of urban and rural areas of the State of Pernambuco, Brazil (1,496 people). The circumference of the waist (CC) was used as an indicator of cardiovascular disease risk and predictor of abdominal obesity.

Results

The prevalence of abdominal obesity in adults of the State of Pernambuco was 64.4% of which 37.7% (IC: 33.4-42.1) corresponds to men and 80.7% (IC: 78.1-83.1) in women. In the multivariate analysis adjusted for the male sex, variables such as age and formal work were associated with abdominal obesity. With regard to women: age, schooling and being in climacteric.

Conclusions

High prevalence of abdominal obesity in the adult population of the Northeast region of Brazil, associated with some social and biological factors, reflect the need for greater planning and implementation of intersectoral strategies linked to the control and prevention of this important nutritional problem.

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