Progression of obesity and abdominal obesity after the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia: a comparison of two cross-sectional population-based studies
Introduction We explored the changes in the prevalence and distribution of excess body adiposity in urban Colombia after the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown.Methods We executed a population-based, stratified, multi-stage study of individuals aged 2–80 years from five Colombian cities, betw...
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BMJ Publishing Group
2025-05-01
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| Series: | BMJ Public Health |
| Online Access: | https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/3/1/e001075.full |
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| author | Carlos O Mendivil Valentina Cuellar-Rodríguez Agustín Pérez-Londoño Valentina Guatibonza-García Carolina Betancourt-Villamizar |
| author_facet | Carlos O Mendivil Valentina Cuellar-Rodríguez Agustín Pérez-Londoño Valentina Guatibonza-García Carolina Betancourt-Villamizar |
| author_sort | Carlos O Mendivil |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction We explored the changes in the prevalence and distribution of excess body adiposity in urban Colombia after the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown.Methods We executed a population-based, stratified, multi-stage study of individuals aged 2–80 years from five Colombian cities, between November and December 2022. We explored the prevalences of excess adiposity measures and their association with socioeconomic variables and contrasted the results with the previous wave of the study, conducted in 2018.Results We studied 2115 individuals (83.5% adults, 51.7% female). Between 2018 and 2022, the adult prevalence of excess body weight (EBW, body mass index >25 kg/m2) increased by 4.5% in males and decreased by 0.6% in females. Women had almost twice the prevalence of obesity as men. The prevalence of obesity for underage females soared from 7.6% in 2018 to 18.4% in 2022. Abdominal obesity increased by 10.3% in men, up to 39.8%. Adult female obesity was negatively associated with socioeconomic status (SES) (OR 2.01 (95% CI 1.33 to 3.04) for lowest SES relative to highest). Abdominal obesity among women in the lowest SES reached 55.2% in 2022. There was a strong negative relationship between education and EBW among women, the OR of obesity for women with only primary education relative to college graduates was 2.48 (95% CI 1.52 to 4.06).Conclusions The obesity epidemic worsened in urban Colombia after the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown, especially among adult males and underage females. The burden of excess adiposity is concentrated in women from disadvantaged groups. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b254752b1dd548e99d71539186bf39ea |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2753-4294 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-b254752b1dd548e99d71539186bf39ea2025-08-20T03:29:15ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Public Health2753-42942025-05-013110.1136/bmjph-2024-001075Progression of obesity and abdominal obesity after the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia: a comparison of two cross-sectional population-based studiesCarlos O Mendivil0Valentina Cuellar-Rodríguez1Agustín Pérez-Londoño2Valentina Guatibonza-García3Carolina Betancourt-Villamizar4School of Medicine, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, ColombiaSchool of Medicine, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, ColombiaSchool of Medicine, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, ColombiaSchool of Medicine, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, ColombiaTeam Foods Colombia, Bogotá, ColombiaIntroduction We explored the changes in the prevalence and distribution of excess body adiposity in urban Colombia after the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown.Methods We executed a population-based, stratified, multi-stage study of individuals aged 2–80 years from five Colombian cities, between November and December 2022. We explored the prevalences of excess adiposity measures and their association with socioeconomic variables and contrasted the results with the previous wave of the study, conducted in 2018.Results We studied 2115 individuals (83.5% adults, 51.7% female). Between 2018 and 2022, the adult prevalence of excess body weight (EBW, body mass index >25 kg/m2) increased by 4.5% in males and decreased by 0.6% in females. Women had almost twice the prevalence of obesity as men. The prevalence of obesity for underage females soared from 7.6% in 2018 to 18.4% in 2022. Abdominal obesity increased by 10.3% in men, up to 39.8%. Adult female obesity was negatively associated with socioeconomic status (SES) (OR 2.01 (95% CI 1.33 to 3.04) for lowest SES relative to highest). Abdominal obesity among women in the lowest SES reached 55.2% in 2022. There was a strong negative relationship between education and EBW among women, the OR of obesity for women with only primary education relative to college graduates was 2.48 (95% CI 1.52 to 4.06).Conclusions The obesity epidemic worsened in urban Colombia after the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown, especially among adult males and underage females. The burden of excess adiposity is concentrated in women from disadvantaged groups.https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/3/1/e001075.full |
| spellingShingle | Carlos O Mendivil Valentina Cuellar-Rodríguez Agustín Pérez-Londoño Valentina Guatibonza-García Carolina Betancourt-Villamizar Progression of obesity and abdominal obesity after the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia: a comparison of two cross-sectional population-based studies BMJ Public Health |
| title | Progression of obesity and abdominal obesity after the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia: a comparison of two cross-sectional population-based studies |
| title_full | Progression of obesity and abdominal obesity after the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia: a comparison of two cross-sectional population-based studies |
| title_fullStr | Progression of obesity and abdominal obesity after the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia: a comparison of two cross-sectional population-based studies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Progression of obesity and abdominal obesity after the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia: a comparison of two cross-sectional population-based studies |
| title_short | Progression of obesity and abdominal obesity after the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia: a comparison of two cross-sectional population-based studies |
| title_sort | progression of obesity and abdominal obesity after the covid 19 pandemic in colombia a comparison of two cross sectional population based studies |
| url | https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/3/1/e001075.full |
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