Prevalence of abdominal adiposity and predictor factors in technical employees at a private institution in the north of Minas Gerais

Abstract

Introduction: Abdominal adiposity is a serious health problem, that is related to the development of other chronic non-communicable diseases. In Brazil, there is great involvement in the working population. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of abdominal adiposity and predictive factors in technical employees of a private institution in the north of Minas Gerais. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional and analytical study, carried out with workers from a university center in Montes Claros. Data collection was carried out through anthropometric assessment and questionnaires that included sociodemographic factors, behavioral habits, and lifestyle. A described analysis of the variables and the chi-square test were performed to verify the associations between the abdominal adiposity outcome and the independent variables. Results: Of the 128 workers, 13.6% of men and 57.1% of women had altered abdominal circumference. In men, associations were significant for age (p=0.023), skin color (p=0.020), back problems (p=0.004) and alcohol consumption (p=0.036). In women, they were associated with high blood pressure (p=0.005) and BMI (p=0.000). Discussion: The high prevalence of abdominal adiposity was similar to that found by other studies in workers, namely among women, and the associations are more evident for sociodemographic and clinical factors. Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of the outcome and the associations found deserve attention, aiming at the importance of interventions to control adiposity in this population. Furthermore, it emphasizes the need for further studies with a representative sample to confirm these results.