[Relationship between ignorance of own weight and cardiovascular risk in primary care].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate what health-care users know about their own weight, the distribution of body fat and the relationship of their level of knowledge with cardiovascular risk factors.


METHODS
Descriptive cross-sectional study.Setting. Urban health centre.


METHODS
240 patients between 15 and 69, chosen by consecutive sampling.


METHODS
Survey, analysis (n=100), body measurements and sphygmomanometry were done.


RESULTS
80.8% of users knew their weight to over-95% accuracy. The biggest errors were found in older patients and in women. There was great prevalence of male-style obesity (71.3%), even among women. The population with greatest errors in knowing their own weight were at greater cardiovascular risk.


CONCLUSIONS
In elderly people, age and sex condition the Body Mass Index and their ignorance of their own weight. There is a relationship between this variable and cardiovascular risk factors. This relationship supports the taking of individual-specific health education measures on obesity in primary care.
Lafarga Giribets
M A
MA
Especialistas en Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria. Centro de Salud Balafia-Pardinyes-Secà. Area Básica de Lleida. Institut Català de la Salut. Lleida. España. alafarga@comll.es
Monfort Cabané
M
M
Sánchez Pellicer
R
R
Batlle Farran
F
F
D000328:Adult; D001835:Body Weight; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012307:Risk Factors