Abstract
BackgroundThere is consistent evidence that obesity is a correlate of mortality. Less information is available about the relation between body weight and the prevalence of diseases. We investigated the prevalence of overweight and obesity and their relationship with 14 groups of chronic diseases in a Mediterranean population using data from the Italian National Survey collected in 1999–2000.MethodsA sample of 52,300 families was randomly selected using a complex stratified multistage design, within strata of geographical areas, municipalities, and household sizes, to produce estimates representative of the whole Italian population. Data were collected by civil servants both with an interview and a self-reported questionnaire.ResultsThe present study documents an increase in the prevalence of overweight among Italian adults in the last decades and an increased prevalence of several chronic conditions in obese or overweight individuals. A general pattern of a positive association between excess weight and chronic disease was observed for both sexes. The ratio of the prevalences of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases was higher in obese versus normal-weight individuals in the age group under 45 years.ConclusionTo reduce the prevalence of chronic diseases a policy promoting a healthier individual lifestyle is becoming more and more desirable.
Highlights
There is consistent evidence that obesity is a correlate of mortality
To draw a cross-sectional picture of the recent status of the Italian population, we investigated the prevalence of various chronic diseases in relation to body weight using data from a national survey conducted by the Italian Institute of Statistics in 1999–2000
Obesity and sociodemographic factors According to the ISTAT National Survey, women were slightly older than men (48.9 versus 46.3 years) while
Summary
There is consistent evidence that obesity is a correlate of mortality. Less information is available about the relation between body weight and the prevalence of diseases. We investigated the prevalence of overweight and obesity and their relationship with 14 groups of chronic diseases in a Mediterranean population using data from the Italian National Survey collected in 1999–2000. Overweight and obesity have become a well recognized problem in many Western countries since the 1950s [1], mostly as a consequence of improved living conditions. In many Western countries the prevalence of obesity has been increasing steadily. The burden of obesity is generally considered to be a correlate of mortality [4,5,6] and to lead to an increase in the (page number not for citation purposes)
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