title: Reproductive characteristics and obesity in middle-aged women seen at an outpatient clinic in southern Brazil.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to investigate the association between reproductive events and abdominal obesity (waist circumference, ≥ 88 cm) and general obesity (body mass index, ≥ 30.0 kg/m) in a sample of women between the ages of 40 and 65 years treated at an outpatient clinic in southern Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study of a sample of 617 women from southern Brazil. Menopause status was classified as premenopausal, women who had regular menstrual cycles; perimenopausal, women who had irregular menstrual cycles whether in periodicity or flow; or postmenopausal, women whose last menstrual period occurred more than 12 months before the time of interview. Poisson regression was used to calculate crude and adjusted prevalence ratios and their respective 95% CIs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence rates of abdominal and general obesity were 66.6% (95% CI, 62.8%-70.3%) and 45.5% (95% CI, 41.5%-9.4%), respectively. After adjustment for demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral variables, early menarche (≤ 11 y) and parity were strong predictors of abdominal and general obesity, presenting a dose-response relationship. Women with a history of three or more pregnancies and menarche at age 11 years or earlier had a 25% higher prevalence of abdominal obesity (95% CI, 1.07-1.46) and a 75% increase in obesity (95% CI, 1.37-2.24) compared with nulliparous or primiparous women with menarche at 14 years or older. Women with a postmenopause status showed an increase of 52% in general obesity, compared with those with a premenopause status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Characteristics of reproductive life may have a strong influence on body fat buildup in women during the menopausal transition.
authors.affiliation: Post-graduate Programme in Collective Health, University of Vale do Rios dos Sinos, RS, Brasil.
authors.forename: Heloísa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Theodoro
authors.forename: Alice Dalpicolli
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: Karina Giane
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Mendes
authors.forename: Ruth Henn
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Liane
authors.forename: Vera Maria Vieira
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Paniz
authors.forename: Maria Teresa Anselmo
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Olinto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008572:Menarche / Q000502:physiology; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal; D010298:Parity / Q000502:physiology; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D017697:Premenopause / Q000502:physiology; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology*; D055105:Waist Circumference