Prevalência e fatores associados à obesidade em idosos residentes em Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil: classifi cação da obesidade segundo dois pontos de corte do índice de massa corporal

Abstract

The aim of this study was to estimate obesity prevalence and associated factors in the el- derly, according to two cutoff points for body mass index (BMI). This was a cross-sectional, population-based study of a sample of 596 elderly residents in Pelotas, southern Bra- zil. Nutritional status was evaluated through BMI based on self-reported weight and stat- ure. Poisson multiple regression with hierar- chical analysis was applied, with two depen- dent variables for definition of obesity: BMI > 27kg/m2 and BMI ≥ 30kg/m2, the cutoff points proposed by Lipschitz and the World Health Organization, respectively. Prevalence of obe- sity was 48.7% (95%CI: 44.6-52.7) for BMI > 27kg/m2 and 25.3% (95%CI: 21.9-29.0) for BMI ≥ 30kg/m2. Two multiple regression models showed an association between obesity and fe- male gender and age. BMI > 27kg/m 2 showed an association with age and smoking and BMI ≥ 30kg/m2 with sedentary lifestyle. Obesity prevalence was high in this group of elderly. For the Brazilian elderly population and from a public health perspective, the study suggests the use of a more sensitive cutoff point, namely BMI > 27kg/m 2 .