Trends in the prevalence of obesity among Belgian men at work, 1977-1992

• Published in: International Journal of Obesity
• Main Authors: Stam-Moraga, MC, Kolanowski, Jaroslaw, Dramaix, M., De Herauw, S, De Bacquer, D., De Backer, G, Kornitzer, MD
• Other Authors: UCL
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Stockton Press 1998
• Subjects: trends; obesity; body mass index; Orca
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/45051; https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0800716

OBJECTIVE: To assess trends in average body mass index (BMI) and the prevalence of:obesity between 1977 and 1992, in middle-aged Belgian men at work, SUBJECTS: A subsample of men at work, aged 40-54y extracted from the base-line data from four independent prospective studies, each representing a period (Physical Fitness Study (1977-1978), Belgian Interuniversity Research on Nutrition and Health (BIRNH) (1979-1984), Multinational Monitoring of Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Diseases (MONICA) (1986-1991) and ORCA [1992-1993]). DESIGN: Linear regression of the average body mass index (kg/m(2)) and logistic regression of the prevalence of obesity (BMI greater than or equal to 30 kg/m(2)), independent variables taken into account In multivariate analysis were: age, educational level, marital status and region, RESULTS: In this subsample of Belgian men at work, aged 40-54y, prevalence of obesity increased from 9.2% in 1977-1978 to 14.5% in 1992-1993. This rise was present in each five-year age group, in both regions and in all educational groups, bur strongest in the lowest educated. After adjustment Sop sociodemographic covariables, it was estimated that with regard to 1977-1978, the proportion of men with a BMI greater than or equal to 38 kg/m(2) doubled over the 15-year period (odds ratio OR (95% confidence intervals, 95% CI)): 1.98 (1.40; 2.80). CONCLUSION: Keeping ire mind that the trends have been calculated from data from four different studies, presenting some shortcomings, prevalence of obesity has increased between 1977-1992 in men aged 40-54 y at work. This rise is particularly pronounced in the lower educated groups.