Prevalência e fatores associados ao excesso de peso em mulheres quilombolas do estado de Alagoas

Abstract

Changes in lifestyle, especially in individuals' eating habits, have promoted changes in the nutritional status of populations, with a decrease in the occurrence of malnutrition and an increase in the prevalence of obesity. Understanding the epidemiological behavior of this condition in different scenarios is essential for its prevention and control. The objective was to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with excess weight in women from the remaining communities of quilombos (CRQs) in Alagoas. This is a cross-sectional study involving a probabilistic sample of 1,654 women living in 50% (n=34) of the CRQs in Alagoas. Through home visits, anthropometric measurements and blood pressure were taken and demographic, socioeconomic and health-related variables were obtained. The dependent variable was overweight, defined as a Body Mass Index ≥ 25 kg/m2. The measure of association was the prevalence ratio (PR) and respective 95% confidence interval (95%CI), calculated by Poisson regression with robust variance, using a multiple and hierarchical theoretical model. The prevalence of overweight was 65.9%. The variables that remained independently associated with the prevalence of the outcome (PR and 95%CI) after the adjusted analysis were: age ≥ 30 years: 30-39 years (PR=1.4; 95%CI=1.25-1.57), 40-49 years (PR=1.39; 95%CI=1.22- 1.58) and 50-59 years (PR=1.28; 95%CI=1.1-1.47); self-declared black (PR=1.2; CI=1.03- 1.39); having a stable marital status (PR=1.16; 95%CI=1-1.34); occurrence of menarche before 12 years of age (PR=1.14; 95%CI=1.05-1.24); having 1 or 2 children (PR=1.23; CI95%1.03- 1.45), having 3 or more children (PR=1.25; CI95%=1.06-1.47) and presenting a level high blood pressure (PR=1.25; 95%CI=1.16-1.34). The prevalence of overweight was high and was independently associated with socioeconomic and health variables. The data presented here should be considered for better targeting and monitoring of care strategies for this morbidity, helping to apply more effective and specific policies for this population.