title: [Prevalence of obesity among Chilean women in childbearing ages].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Women in childbearing ages (WCBA) represent a strategic intervention group to reverse the global trend of increasing obesity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To conduct a review of studies reporting obesity prevalence in WCBA in Chile in the last 25 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  To describe obesity prevalence, we used three approaches, namely qualitative review of studies describing obesity prevalence in WCBA and a comparative study of the prevalence of obesity, overweight, abdominal and morbid obesity in WCBA from 2003 and 2009-10 National Health Surveys (ENS). Finally, nutrition status trends of pregnant women in the period 1987-2013 were plotted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to ENS, obesity prevalence exceeded 20% and excess weight 50%, both in 2003 and 2009-10 surveys. We found seven population studies, being difficult to compare them due to the heterogeneity of obesity definitions, design, and populations. Population studies showed that the prevalence of obesity increases along with age. The higher prevalence of obesity in WCBA aged 20 to 43 years was found in the city of San Carlos in 2007 (35.5%). The lowest was found in female university students, ranging from 0% to 5.9%. Obesity in pregnant women increased from 12.9% to 32.2% in the period 1987-2004 and from 20.3% to 26.3% in the period 2005-2013.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a high and increasing prevalence of obesity among women in childbearing age, whether pregnant or not-pregnant.
authors.forename: Marcela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Araya B
authors.forename: Oslando
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Padilla
authors.forename: María Luisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Garmendia
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Atalah
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Uauy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult