Cross-sectional associations between body mass index, waist circumference, and multimorbidity: Pró-Saúde study

This study aimed (1) To investigate the association between the Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) with multimorbidity (MM), and (2) To identify patterns of MM and investigate the relationship between BMI and WC with specific combinations of MM (patterns of MM).

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 2,698 participants of the fourth phase of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (Pró-Saúde Study). MM was defined by the presence of two or more morbidities. MM patterns were identified by exploratory factor analysis based on tetrachoric correlations. Logistic regression models were used to assess associations (odds ratios (OR) with the respective confidence intervals (CI)).

Of the total number of participants, 39.5% were overweight and 30.0% were obese; 89.0% (n = 1,468) of women and 77.0% (n = 952) of men were abdominally obese. Indeed, 60.7% (n = 1,635) was identified with MM. For the category four or more morbidities, OR values of 5.98 (95% CI 4.84-7.13) and 7.48 (95% CI 6.14-8.18) were found for each point of increase in BMI, and 6.74 (95% CI 5.48-7.99) and 8.48 (95% CI 7.64-9.29) for each additional centimeter in the WC, for female and male, respectively. Five patterns of MM were identified: respiratory, osteoarticular, cardiometabolic, gastric, and thyroid diseases (56.4% of the total variance). Positive associations were found between BMI and patterns of cardiometabolic, osteoarticular, thyroid and gastric diseases (higher OR of 1.09 [95% CI 1.04-1.14]) and less pronounced between WC and patterns of cardiometabolic and osteoarticular (higher OR of 1.04 [95% CI 1.03-1.04]).

The results showed that an increase of both BMI and WC was associated with a higher number of morbidities and with patterns of cardiometabolic and osteoarticular diseases.