The Prevalence of Abdominal Adiposity among Primary Health Care Physicians in Bahia, Brazil: An Epidemiological Study.

Thiago Da Silva Santana,Arthur Pinto Silva,Pablo Luiz Santos Couto,Rodrigo Fernandes Weyll Pimentel,Lívia Maria Da Silva Gonçalves,Márcia Cristina Graça Marinho,Charles Souza Santos,Argemiro D’Oliveira Júnior,Amália Ivine Costa Santana,Julita Maria Freitas Coelho,Tatiana Santos Brandão,Anderson Reis De Sousa,Monique Magnavita Borba Da Fonseca Cerqueira,Luiz Carlos Moraes França,Kairo Silvestre Meneses Damasceno,Pedro Carlos Muniz De Figueiredo,André Costa ,Sérgio Corrêa Marques ,Thaís Régis Aranha Rossi ,Lívia Fajin De Mello Dos Santos ,Antônio Marcos Tosoli Gomes ,Lúcia Helena García Penna ,Márcio Costa De Souza ,Magno Conceição Das Mercês ,R Wolter ,Ellen Márcia Peres ,Lucélia Batista Neves Cunha Magalhães ,Maria Lúcia Silva Servo,Priscila Cristina Da Silva Thiengo De Andrade Andrade,Iracema Lua,Ana Victória Gomes Fonseca,Alex Almeida E Almeida,Jeane Freitas De Oliveira,Douglas De Souza E Silva

doi:10.3390/ijerph18030957

Abstract

Background: Labor activities are demanding for workers and can induce occupational stress. Primary health care (PHC) workers have faced problems that can lead to the development of stress and abdominal obesity. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of abdominal adiposity among primary health care physicians in the metropolitan mesoregion of Salvador, Bahia. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted with physicians from the family health units (FHUs) of the metropolitan mesoregion of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The number of FHUs corresponded to 41 teams (52 physicians). Anamnesis was performed and a questionnaire was applied. The clinical examination consisted of measuring waist circumference (WC), blood pressure levels (BP), and body mass index (BMI), as well as examining for acanthosis nigricans. Blood samples were collected for biochemical dosages. The data obtained were analyzed by SPSS version 22.0. Results: The sample included 41 physicians (response rate: 78.8%), of which 18 were women (44.0%). The percentage of overweight participants represented by BMI was 31.7%. The hypertriglyceridemia prevalence was 29.2%. HDL-c was low in 48.7% of the participants. The waist circumference measurement revealed a prevalence of abdominal adiposity of 38.8% (women) and 34.8% (men). Conclusions: Medical professionals in PHC are more susceptible to having higher abdominal adiposity, especially female physicians.

Highlights

Obesity is a chronic disease characterized by an excessive accumulation of body fat, is capable of taking years off life expectancy according to its severity, and is evidenced by the body mass index (BMI) [1]
A study conducted among physicians in a hospital in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia found a prevalence of approximately 26.2% [9]
The study points to a prevalence of abdominal adiposity of 36.6%, with a higher percentage among women physicians in our studied sample

Summary

Introduction

Obesity is a chronic disease characterized by an excessive accumulation of body fat, is capable of taking years off life expectancy according to its severity, and is evidenced by the body mass index (BMI) [1]. Labor activities have increasingly demanded that the contemporary worker be more dynamic and engaged. This context imposed for fulfilling professional activities can induce occupational stress, which creates a risk scenario for diseases both at the psychological and physical levels [5]. In this scenario, labor represents a fine line between professional achievement and a pathological state. Labor represents a fine line between professional achievement and a pathological state All this depends on how workers see themselves before their work and how they feel in the social context of which they are a part [6]

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Discussion

Conclusion