Fatores associados à adiposidade total e abdominal em indígenas Krenak de Minas Gerais, Brasil

Abstract

Introduction: Obesity is considered a global public health problem, it is one of the main risk factors associated with the occurrence of chronic non-communicable diseases, which results in 60% of deaths worldwide each year. This scenario is not different when it comes to a specific population, an indigenous population, which studies indicate the high prevalence of obesity associated with changes in cultural patterns, as well as the westernization of the diets of this population. There is a lack of information on the health profile of indigenous people in Brazil, which prevents us from outlining the health conditions of this population. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, census-type study conducted with the objective of analysing factors associated with body adiposity in the Krenak indigenous population 18 years of age. The survey consisted of 183 indigenous volunteers from the Krenak Indigenous Tribe, located near the municipality of Resplendor, Minas Gerais. Demographic, socioeconomic, anthropometric, lifestyle, eating habits and basic sanitation data were studied. Total adiposity was defined as body mass index (BMI) (18 to 59 years, BMI 30 kg/m²), (age 60 years, BMI 27 kg/m²), while abdominal obesity was defined as > 88 cm in women, e > 102 cm in men. Descriptive statistical analysis (absolute and relative frequencies), bivariate analysis (Pearson chi-square test or Fisher's exact test), analysis stratified by sensitivity of gender, and multivariate analysis (Poisson regression) were done with 5% significance level. Results: The prevalence of total adiposity and abdominal obesity in females was 40.7% and 50%, and 32.2% and 16.1% in men, respectively. Bivariate results indicated that total adiposity was associated with age, maintaining this association in the multivariate analysis. The bivariate analysis of female adiposity was associated with age, consumption of meat with excess fat and the addition of salt to meals. With regard to males, age was associated with total adiposity. Alcoholic beverage consumption was introduced in the multivariate analysis model because it presented p-value <0.20 in the analysis. Following the proposed theoretical model, age remained associated with both sexes and alcohol consumption was associated with males (PR = 3.1, 95% CI 1.0-9.8). Conclusion: The prevalence of total adiposity and abdominal obesity was considered elevated. However, abdominal adiposity presented more significant results. These finding are important because they add to past findings and contribute towards the implementation of public health policies aimed at reducing chronic non-communicable diseases in indigenous populations.