Objective: To estimate prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults and to identify those individuals at high cardiovascular risk (subjects with type 2 diabetes or hypertension) in whom a nurse intervention might be beneficial in terms of life-style changes and reduction in body weight.
Method: A cross-sectional study on 2270 adults (18-80 years-old) from an urban Primary Health Care Centre. Medical history, social and demographic data, physical examination and blood tests were collected.
Results: The mean body mass index was 26.9±5.1kg/m(2) and was found to be higher in men. Thirty-eight percent of subjects were overweight and 22% were obese. Although the prevalence of obesity was identical in both sexes, women had higher prevalences of type ii and iii obesity than men, but overweight was more frequent in men. Among those older than fifty years-old, 84% were overweight or obese. One-hundred and fifty-six (7%) subjects had type 2 diabetes and 707 (31%) had hypertension, and 111 (5%) subjects with both diabetes and hypertension. BMI was higher (P<0.001) in patients who suffered from, hypertension (29.7±5.2), diabetes (28.5±4.6), and diabetes and hypertension (31.4±5.3), than in those who did not suffer from these diseases (25.4±4.3).
Conclusions: Obesity and overweight is highly prevalent in the population studied and is higher in patients with diabetes and hypertension.
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