Trends of overweight, obesity and anthropometric measurements among the adult population in Italy: The CUORE Project health examination surveys 1998, 2008, and 2018.

Chiara Donfrancesco,Paolo Bellisario,Brigitta Buttari,Serena Vannucchi,Elisabetta Profumo,Francesca Vespasiano,Furio Colivicchi,Graziano Onder,Ferruccio Galletti,Daniela Galeone,Luigi Palmieri,Cinzia Lo Noce,Daniela Minutoli,Anna Di Lonardo,Martha Asuncion Sánchez-Rodríguez

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0264778

Abstract

Background/ObjectivesObesity is associated with an increased risk of noncommunicable diseases, such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, cancers, and conditions, including obstructive sleep apnea and osteoarthritis. Obesity is largely preventable, and halting its rise is one of the World Health Organization Global Action Plan for the Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases targets. This study aimed to assess trends of anthropometric measurements in Italy using the data collected within the CUORE Project health examination surveys (HESs) 1998, 2008, and 2018.Subjects/MethodsWithin the HESs 1998–2002, 2008–2012, and 2018–2019, anthropometric measurements were collected in random samples of the resident population aged 35–74 years, stratified by age and sex, from 10 Italian Regions in Northern, Central, and Southern Italy (2984 men and 2944 women, 2224 men and 2188 women, 1035 men and 1065 women, respectively). Weight, height, and waist and hip circumferences were measured using standardized methodologies. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect data on education. Indicators were age standardized.ResultsFor both men and women, mean body mass index in 2018 was comparable with those in 1998 and 2008 (in 1998, 2008, and 2018—men: 26.7, 27.5, and 27.0 kg/m2; women: 26.2, 26.6, and 26.3 kg/m2). In 1998, 2008, 2018 prevalence of overweight resulted 49%, 47%, 46% in men and 33%, 32%, 28% in women respectively; prevalence of obesity resulted 17%, 24% 20% in men and 19%, 23%, 23% in women respectively. All indicators of excess weight worsen with increasing age and are more severe in persons with a lower educational level.ConclusionsAlthough the overall trend of excess weight over the past two decades appeared to be substantially stable in the Italian adult population, the continuous strengthening of undertaken initiatives should continue since there remains a high proportion of overweight or obesity and a gap between educational levels.

Highlights

IntroductionThe World Health Organization (WHO) Global noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) Action Plan 2013–2020 suggested nine global NCD targets in providing a vision for progress by 2025, including halting the rise in obesity [1]
Most noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the result of four common and preventable behaviors, including tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, and harmful use of alcohol, which lead to four key metabolic/physiological changes: raised blood pressure, overweight/obesity, raised blood glucose, and raised cholesterol.The World Health Organization (WHO) Global NCDs Action Plan 2013–2020 suggested nine global NCD targets in providing a vision for progress by 2025, including halting the rise in obesity [1]
The overall trend of excess weight over the past two decades appeared to be substantially stable in the Italian adult population, the continuous strengthening of undertaken initiatives should continue since there remains a high proportion of overweight or obesity and a gap between educational levels

Summary

Introduction

The World Health Organization (WHO) Global NCDs Action Plan 2013–2020 suggested nine global NCD targets in providing a vision for progress by 2025, including halting the rise in obesity [1] Achieving this target is considered important to reduce NCDs, as obesity is a major risk factor of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, and some cancers and is associated with increased mortality [2–10]. Body mass index (BMI) provides the most useful, albeit crude, population-level measure of overweight and obesity, it does not account for the wide variation in body fat distribution Other methods, such as waist circumference and waist-to-hip circumferences ratio, besides the measurement of BMI, are considered valuable in identifying the proportion of individuals at increased risk of excess fat-related illnesses [16]

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