Abdominal obesity prevalence in Latin America: a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing ATP III and IDF criteria

BackgroundAbdominal obesity (AO) represents a significant cardiovascular risk factor with distinctive characteristics in Latin American populations. Its prevalence has increased substantially in recent decades, although estimates vary according to the diagnostic criteria.ObjectiveTo determine the pr...

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Main Authors: Víctor Juan Vera-Ponce, Joan A. Loayza-Castro, Fiorella E. Zuzunaga-Montoya, Luisa Erika Milagros Vásquez-Romero, Nataly Mayely Sanchez-Tamay, Juan Carlos Bustamante-Rodríguez, Jhosmer Ballena-Caicedo, Carmen Inés Gutierrez De Carrillo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Endocrinology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2025.1562060/full
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author Víctor Juan Vera-Ponce
Víctor Juan Vera-Ponce
Joan A. Loayza-Castro
Fiorella E. Zuzunaga-Montoya
Luisa Erika Milagros Vásquez-Romero
Nataly Mayely Sanchez-Tamay
Nataly Mayely Sanchez-Tamay
Juan Carlos Bustamante-Rodríguez
Juan Carlos Bustamante-Rodríguez
Jhosmer Ballena-Caicedo
Jhosmer Ballena-Caicedo
Carmen Inés Gutierrez De Carrillo
Carmen Inés Gutierrez De Carrillo
author_facet Víctor Juan Vera-Ponce
Víctor Juan Vera-Ponce
Joan A. Loayza-Castro
Fiorella E. Zuzunaga-Montoya
Luisa Erika Milagros Vásquez-Romero
Nataly Mayely Sanchez-Tamay
Nataly Mayely Sanchez-Tamay
Juan Carlos Bustamante-Rodríguez
Juan Carlos Bustamante-Rodríguez
Jhosmer Ballena-Caicedo
Jhosmer Ballena-Caicedo
Carmen Inés Gutierrez De Carrillo
Carmen Inés Gutierrez De Carrillo
author_sort Víctor Juan Vera-Ponce
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundAbdominal obesity (AO) represents a significant cardiovascular risk factor with distinctive characteristics in Latin American populations. Its prevalence has increased substantially in recent decades, although estimates vary according to the diagnostic criteria.ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of AO in Latin American populations through a systematic review with meta-analysis, comparing ATP III and IDF criteria.MethodsA systematic search was conducted across SCOPUS, Web of Science, PubMed, and EMBASE databases. Observational studies evaluating AO prevalence in Latin American populations using either ATP III (≥102/88 cm) or IDF (≥90/80 cm) criteria were included. Meta-regressions were performed to assess the influence of publication year and sample size.ResultsSixty-one studies were included (n=281,694 participants). The pooled prevalence according to ATP III criteria was 40% (95% CI: 34-46%) and 62% (95% CI: 56-68%) according to IDF criteria. Sex-stratified analysis revealed significantly higher prevalences in women (ATP III: 50% vs 27%; IDF: 74.3% vs 46.8%). Temporal meta-regression demonstrated an upward trend, particularly in studies utilizing IDF criteria, while sample size showed no significant influence on prevalence estimates. Substantial geographic variations were observed, with Mexico and Venezuela exhibiting the highest prevalences. Heterogeneity was considerably high (I²>99%) across all analyses.ConclusionsAO prevalence in Latin America is high and demonstrates significant sexual dimorphism. These findings challenge the validity of current cut-off points and suggest the need to develop Latin American-specific criteria based on clinically relevant outcomes.
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spelling doaj-art-0bc348138d0b41a0ab65fa2bf10bccc92025-08-20T02:40:07ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Endocrinology1664-23922025-06-011610.3389/fendo.2025.15620601562060Abdominal obesity prevalence in Latin America: a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing ATP III and IDF criteriaVíctor Juan Vera-Ponce0Víctor Juan Vera-Ponce1Joan A. Loayza-Castro2Fiorella E. Zuzunaga-Montoya3Luisa Erika Milagros Vásquez-Romero4Nataly Mayely Sanchez-Tamay5Nataly Mayely Sanchez-Tamay6Juan Carlos Bustamante-Rodríguez7Juan Carlos Bustamante-Rodríguez8Jhosmer Ballena-Caicedo9Jhosmer Ballena-Caicedo10Carmen Inés Gutierrez De Carrillo11Carmen Inés Gutierrez De Carrillo12Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas (UNTRM), Amazonas, PeruFacultad de Medicina (FAMED), Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas (UNTRM), Amazonas, PeruInstituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas (UNTRM), Amazonas, PeruUniversidad Continental, Lima, PeruInstituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas (UNTRM), Amazonas, PeruInstituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas (UNTRM), Amazonas, PeruFacultad de Medicina (FAMED), Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas (UNTRM), Amazonas, PeruInstituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas (UNTRM), Amazonas, PeruFacultad de Medicina (FAMED), Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas (UNTRM), Amazonas, PeruInstituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas (UNTRM), Amazonas, PeruFacultad de Medicina (FAMED), Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas (UNTRM), Amazonas, PeruInstituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas (UNTRM), Amazonas, PeruFacultad de Medicina (FAMED), Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas (UNTRM), Amazonas, PeruBackgroundAbdominal obesity (AO) represents a significant cardiovascular risk factor with distinctive characteristics in Latin American populations. Its prevalence has increased substantially in recent decades, although estimates vary according to the diagnostic criteria.ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of AO in Latin American populations through a systematic review with meta-analysis, comparing ATP III and IDF criteria.MethodsA systematic search was conducted across SCOPUS, Web of Science, PubMed, and EMBASE databases. Observational studies evaluating AO prevalence in Latin American populations using either ATP III (≥102/88 cm) or IDF (≥90/80 cm) criteria were included. Meta-regressions were performed to assess the influence of publication year and sample size.ResultsSixty-one studies were included (n=281,694 participants). The pooled prevalence according to ATP III criteria was 40% (95% CI: 34-46%) and 62% (95% CI: 56-68%) according to IDF criteria. Sex-stratified analysis revealed significantly higher prevalences in women (ATP III: 50% vs 27%; IDF: 74.3% vs 46.8%). Temporal meta-regression demonstrated an upward trend, particularly in studies utilizing IDF criteria, while sample size showed no significant influence on prevalence estimates. Substantial geographic variations were observed, with Mexico and Venezuela exhibiting the highest prevalences. Heterogeneity was considerably high (I²>99%) across all analyses.ConclusionsAO prevalence in Latin America is high and demonstrates significant sexual dimorphism. These findings challenge the validity of current cut-off points and suggest the need to develop Latin American-specific criteria based on clinically relevant outcomes.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2025.1562060/fullabdominal obesitywaist circumferenceLatin Americaprevalencesystematic reviewmeta-analysis
spellingShingle Víctor Juan Vera-Ponce
Víctor Juan Vera-Ponce
Joan A. Loayza-Castro
Fiorella E. Zuzunaga-Montoya
Luisa Erika Milagros Vásquez-Romero
Nataly Mayely Sanchez-Tamay
Nataly Mayely Sanchez-Tamay
Juan Carlos Bustamante-Rodríguez
Juan Carlos Bustamante-Rodríguez
Jhosmer Ballena-Caicedo
Jhosmer Ballena-Caicedo
Carmen Inés Gutierrez De Carrillo
Carmen Inés Gutierrez De Carrillo
Abdominal obesity prevalence in Latin America: a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing ATP III and IDF criteria
Frontiers in Endocrinology
abdominal obesity
waist circumference
Latin America
prevalence
systematic review
meta-analysis
title Abdominal obesity prevalence in Latin America: a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing ATP III and IDF criteria
title_full Abdominal obesity prevalence in Latin America: a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing ATP III and IDF criteria
title_fullStr Abdominal obesity prevalence in Latin America: a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing ATP III and IDF criteria
title_full_unstemmed Abdominal obesity prevalence in Latin America: a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing ATP III and IDF criteria
title_short Abdominal obesity prevalence in Latin America: a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing ATP III and IDF criteria
title_sort abdominal obesity prevalence in latin america a systematic review and meta analysis comparing atp iii and idf criteria
topic abdominal obesity
waist circumference
Latin America
prevalence
systematic review
meta-analysis
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2025.1562060/full
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