Factors associated with central obesity in adults from Florianópolis, Santa Catarina: a population based-study

To estimate the prevalence of central obesity and its association with socio-demographic factors and health-related behaviors among adults from Florianópolis, State of Santa Catarina, Southern Brazil.

A cross-sectional population-based study was carried out in a sample of 1,720 adults between 20 to 59 years of age, residents in the urban area of the city. The outcome was the central obesity which was defined as a waist-height ratio > 0.50. Unadjusted and adjusted models were performed by using Poisson regression allowing estimation of the Prevalence Ratio (PR). All analyses were stratified by sex.

The prevalence of central obesity was 50.5% (95% CI: 46.6-54.4) among men and 38.9% (95% CI 34.4-43.5) among women. In the adjusted analysis, central higher prevalence of obesity was observed in women aged 50 to 59 years and those who were living with a partner; lower prevalences were observed among women with > 12 years of study (PR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.47-0.85) and among those with higher income (PR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.47-0.86). Among men, a higher prevalence of central obesity was associated with ages 50 to 59 years and among those who were living with a partner, while a lower prevalence was identified in those in the highest income group.

The prevalence of central obesity was high in the population studied. Demographic and socioeconomic factors were strongly associated with central obesity in both sexes. The knowledge of factors associated with central obesity may help the implementation of health interventions in order to prevent this core issue in Public Health.