Trends in overweight and obesity in Portuguese conscripts from 1986 to 2000 in relation to place of residence and educational level.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to analyse changes in the prevalence of overweight and obesity between 1986 and 2000 in Portuguese conscripts, and to examine the role of place of residence and educational level.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Data sets from the cross-sectional annual surveys of all 18-year-old Portuguese males born between 1966 and 1981 and examined between 1986 and 2000 (850 081 subjects) were used in this study. Height and weight were measured and body mass index was calculated. Data on educational level (4, 6, 9, 11 and 12+ years) and residence (urban, semi-urban and rural) were collected.


RESULTS
The prevalence of overweight increased from 10.5% in 1986 to 21.3% in 2000, and the prevalence of obesity increased from 0.9% to 4.2% in the same period (P<0.001). After adjustment for year of examination, the odds ratio (OR) for being overweight increased with educational level (reference 4-6 years: 1.19; 9 years: 1.30; 11 years: 1.47; 12+ years: 2.41) and place of residence (reference urban-semi-urban: 1.04; rural: 1.06). The prevalence of obesity increased with educational level (reference 4-6 years: 1.27; 9 years: 1.79; 11 years: 1.83; 12+ years: 2.66) and decreased with place of residence, i.e. those who lived in rural areas had a lower risk of becoming obese (OR: 0.94).


CONCLUSIONS
Despite the low prevalence of obesity in young males in Portugal compared with other European countries, the sharp increase in recent years indicates that public health strategies are needed to prevent obesity.
Padez
Cristina
C
Departamento de Antropologia, Departamento de Antropologia, Rua do Arco da Traição, Universidade de Coimbra, 3000-056 Coimbra, Portugal. cpadez@antrop.uc.pt
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004522:Educational Status; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000193:education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D050177:Overweight; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011634:Public Health / Q000639:trends*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D013383:Suburban Population; D014505:Urban Population