SPATIO-TEMPORAL EVOLUTION OF OBESITY PREVALENCE AMONG GENDERS AND AGE GROUPS IN BRAZILIAN CAPITALS

Abstract

Abstract: Obesity is a disease with a global impact, with a complex and multifactorial etiology. The main causative factor is energy imbalance, influenced by lifestyle. Analyzing the dynamics of obesity from a spatial-temporal perspective can support more effective decision-making, enabling optimized management of resources and the formulation of public health policies adjusted to regional needs. This study aimed to analyze the behavior of the time series of obesity prevalence in Brazilian capitals. The VIGITEL system was used to extract the data. The prevalence of different degrees of obesity was calculated by gender, as well as among different age groups, in order to understand the impact of obesity in the different stages of life. The Mann-Kendall test was applied to identify monotonic trends in the time series. The growth of the capitals was estimated by means of the arithmetic mean of the annual variations in prevalence. The results indicated that age group 1 (age ≥ 18 and ≤ 34) had the highest prevalence in all degrees of obesity, followed by groups 2 (age ≥ 35 and ≤ 54) and 3 (age ≥ 55). Only Palmas had a higher prevalence of obesity among men. Boa Vista recorded the highest growth in grade 1 obesity (5.22%), while João Pessoa had the lowest (2.39%). Florianópolis led in the growth of grade 2 (23.74%), and Rio de Janeiro had the lowest (2.59%). Teresina had the highest increase in grade 3 (22.79%) and João Pessoa the lowest (2.39%).