[Overweight and obesity in health team of a family medicine unit].
BACKGROUND
The overweight and obesity are important public health problems in Mexico and around the world because it has been a progressive growth.


OBJECTIVE
To identify the frequency of overweight and obesity in heath workers at a family care unit in the Mexican Institute of Social Security.


METHODS
A descriptive, glimpsing and transversal study was done. In this study were included 207 workers between them were family doctors, gastroenterologists, nurses, medical assistants, social workers and laboratory workers. All of them were personnel of the health care unit and they were follow from January to February 2001. The body mass index was measured (kg/m(2)) on all of them and the results are the following:


RESULTS
There were overweight and obese in 46% of them; the results showed that males were more affected (54%) in comparison with studies in Mexican adult in general population. According to age, people 50 years old or more were most affected (57%). According with the kind of health job that they do, the laboratory workers got 64%, family doctors and gastroenterologist got 58%, they were the most affected groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Overweight and obesity were frequent in heath care workers. This research shows a higher frequency of obesity in men compared with the studies of general adult population in Mexico. It is necessary to apply health care programs to improve life style and nutrition between health workers as well as fit programs.
Palacios-Rodríguez
Raúl Gabriel
RG
Educación e Investigación en Salud, Unidad de Medicina Familiar 67, Instituto Mexicano de Seguro Social, Delegación Estado de México Oriente, México. rgpr.imss67@salud.gob.mx
Munguía-Miranda
Catarina
C
Avila-Leyva
Armando
A
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D050177:Overweight; D015995:Prevalence