Secular trends of obesity and cardiovascular risk factors in a Mediterranean population.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate time trends of obesity, abdominal obesity, and cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs) according to BMI and waist circumference (WC) categories in a Mediterranean population.


METHODS
Subjects were Spanish men (n = 2383) and women (n = 2525) 25 to 74 years old, examined in 1994 to 1995 and 1999 to 2000 in two independent population-based cross-sectional surveys in the northeast of Spain. Lifestyle measures, CRFs, and anthropometric variables were analyzed.


RESULTS
Over the 5 years of the study, mean age-standardized BMI increased by 1.0 units in men and by 0.8 units in women. At the same time the prevalence of obesity increased from 15.4% to 21.9% in men and from 15.4% to 21.4% in women. An upward trend was observed for WC and abdominal obesity (WC > 102 cm in men and WC > 88 cm in women) only in men. The proportion of men and women with hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and low high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol plasma concentration remained stable within BMI and WC categories. The proportion of hypertension and smoking in obese men significantly increased from 1995 to 2000.


CONCLUSIONS
The 5-year increase in BMI and WC is of considerable magnitude in the present population, although several CRFs remained stable within BMI and WC categories.
Schröder
Helmut
H
Lipids and Cardiovascular Epidemiology Research Unit, Institut Municipal d'Investigació Mèdica, c/Doctor Aiguader 80, 08003 Barcelona, Spain. hschroeder@imim.es
Elosua
Roberto
R
Vila
Joan
J
Marti
Helena
H
Covas
Maria Isabel
MI
Marrugat
Jaume
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019083:Mediterranean Region; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain; D013995:Time; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio