Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2015

Open Access 01-12-2015 | Research article

Prevalence of obesity in panama: some risk factors and associated diseases

Authors: Anselmo Mc Donald, Ryan A. Bradshaw, Flavia Fontes, Enrique A. Mendoza, Jorge A. Motta, Alberto Cumbrera, Clara Cruz

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2015

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

To estimate the prevalence of obesity in Panama and determine some risk factors and associated diseases in adults aged 18 years and older.

Methods

A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in the provinces of Panama and Colon where 60.4 % of all Panamanians 18 years or older reside, by administering a survey regarding the consumption of protective and predisposing foods and assessing the development of obesity by measuring the weight, height, and waist circumference of 3590 people. A single-stage, probabilistic, and randomized sampling strategy employing multivariate stratification was used. Individuals with a body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2 (men and women) were considered obese. Prevalence and descriptive analysis were conducted according to sex using Odds Ratio, with statistical significance set at a p value ≤ 0.05.

Results

The general prevalence of obesity was 27.1 % (30.9 % women and 18.3 % men). In women, obesity was associated with living in urban areas, being 40–59 years of age, being Afro-Panamanian, consuming beverages / foods rich in sugar, being physically inactive and having a family history of obesity. In men, obesity was associated with living in urban areas, consuming beverages/foods rich in sugar, and having a family history of obesity. Almost the totality of obese women (97.9 %), and 80.0 % of men with obesity had abdominal obesity according to the WHO classification. In both sexes, obesity was a risk factor associated to type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, hypertension, LDL values ≥ 100 mg/dL, and low HDL values (<50 mg/dL for women and < 40 mg/dL for men), Odds Ratio > 1.0; P < 0.05.

Conclusions

Obesity represents a very serious threat to Panamanian public health. Our study confirms a direct association in Panama between excess weight, hypertension, type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, LDL values ≥ 100 mg/dL and low HDL values for women and men (<50 mg/dL and < 40 mg/dL, respectively). Intervention / treatment programs should be targeted, specially, to Afro-Panamanian women, whom are 40–59 years old, living in urban areas, and those having a family history of obesity.
Literature
1.
Carmena Rodríguez R, Martínez Valls JF. Obesidad: Conceptos básicos, clasificación, etiopatogenia, riesgos y patología asociada a la obesidad. Medicine. 2002;8(86):4636–41.
2.
Stevens GA, Singh GM, Lu Y, Danaei G, Lin JK, Finucane MM, et al. National, regional, and global trends in adult overweight and obesity prevalences. Popupaltion Health Metrics. 2012;10(22):1–16.
3.
4.
Sánchez-Contreras M, Moreno-Gómez GA, Marín-Grisales ME, García Ortíz LH. Factores de Riesgo Cardiovasculares en Poblaciones Jóvenes. Rev salud pública. 2009;11(1):110–22.CrossRefPubMed
5.
Salor Moral D, Cuevas Meléndez NM, Ferrer Civeira M, García Andrade CR, Nuñez Cortéz JM. Correlación entre parámetros antropométricos y perfil de riesgo cardiovascular estimado para la población española. Clin Invest Arterioscl. 2010;22(6):241–6.
6.
Salvador Rodríguez J, Payeras Mas F, Silva Froján C, Frühbeck Martínez G. Obesidad. Concepto. Clasificación. Implicaciones fisiopatológicas. Complicaciones asociadas. Valoración clínica. Medicine. 2004;9(19):1167–75.
7.
Gillum RF, Sempos CT. Ethnic variation in validity of classification of overweight and obesity using self-reported weight and height in American women and men: the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Nutr J. 2005;4(27):1–8.
8.
Cabrerizo L, Rubio MA, Ballesteros MD, Moreno Lopera C. Complicaciones asociadas a la obesidad. Rev Esp Nutr Comunitaria. 2008;14(3):156–62.
9.
10.
TC KO G. Obesity in Hong Kong - Risk and Burden. Hong Kong Med Diary. 2010;15(2):9–11.
11.
Tee ES. Obesity in Asia: prevalence and issues in assessment methologies. Asia Pacific J Clin Nutr. 2002;11(3):S694–701.CrossRef
12.
Salas-Salvadó J, Rubio MA, Barbany M, Moreno B. Consenso SEEDO 2007 para la evaluación del sobrepeso y la obesidad y el establecimiento de criterios de intervención terapéutica. Med Clin (Barc). 2007;128(5):184–96.CrossRef
13.
14.
Mc Donald PAJ, Montenegro GJA, Cruz GCE, de Rivera AL M, Cumbrera A. Prevalence, sociodemographic distribution, treatment and control of Diabetes Mellitus in Panama. Diabetol Metabol Syndr. 2013;5(69):1–9.
15.
Mc Donald P AJM, Borrel JA, Roa R, Fontes F, Batista I, Lay de Ureña L, et al. Prevalence of Risk Factors Associated With Cardiovascular Disease (PREFREC) 2010 Panama. Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud: Panama City, Panama. 2012.
16.
Mc Donald Posso AJ, Motta Borrel JA, Fontes F, Cruz Gonzalez CE, Pachon Burgos AA, Cumbrera Ortega A. High blood pressure in Panama: prevalence, sociodemographic and biologic profile, treatment, and control (STROBE). Medicine (Baltimore). 2014;93(22):e101.CrossRef
17.
National Institute of Health, National Heart L, and Blood Institute. Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (ATP III) final report. In. Program NCE, Editor, vol. 02; 2002.
18.
Clark ML. Los valores P y los intervalos de confianza: ¿en qué confiar? Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2004;15:293–6.CrossRefPubMed
19.
Newcombe RG, Merino Soto C. Intervalos de confianza para las estimaciones de proporciones y las diferencias entre ellas. Interdisciplinaria. 2006;23:141–54.
20.
Nájera-Medina O, González-Torres C, Rodríguez Cruz L, Victorino-Hipólito C. Sobrepeso y obesidad en población adulta de dos centros comunitarios de salud de la ciudad de México. Rev Biomed. 2007;18(3):154–60.
21.
Laux TS, Bert PJ, González M, Unruh M, Aragon A, Torres Lacourt C. Prevalence of obesity, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption by socioeconomic status among six communities in Nicaragua. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2012;32(3):217–25.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
22.
Segura Vega L, Agusti R, Parodi Ramírez J. Factores de Riesgo de las Enfermedades Cardiovasculares en el Perú. Revista Peruana de Cardiología. 2006;32(2):82–128.
23.
Ferrante D, Virgolini M. Encuesta Nacional de Factores de Riesgos 2005: resultados principales. Prevalencia de factores de risgo de enfermedades cardiovasculares en la Argentina. Rev Argent Cardiol. 2007;75:20–9.
24.
Curto S, Prats O, Ayestarán R. Investigación sobre factores de riesgo cardiovascular en Uruguay. Rev Med Uruguay. 2004;20(1):61–71.
25.
26.
27.
Ford ES, Mokdad AH. Epidemiology of Obesity in the Western Hemisphere. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008;93(11):S1–8.CrossRefPubMed
28.
29.
30.
Befort CA, Nazir N, Perri MG. Prevalence of Obesity Among Adults From Rural and Urban Areas of the United States: Findings From NHANES (2005–2008). J Rural Health. 2012;28:392–7.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
31.
Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, McDowell MA, Tabak CJ, Flegal KM. Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in the United States, 1999–2004. JAMA. 2006;295(13):1549–55.CrossRefPubMed
32.
Ogden CL. Disparities in obesity prevalence in the United States: black women at risk. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;89:1001–2.CrossRefPubMed
33.
Lovejoy JC. The influence of sex hormones on obesity across de female life span. J Women’s Health. 1998;7:1247–55.CrossRef
34.
Abrams B, Altman SL, Pickett KE. Pregnancy weight gain: still controversial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000;71:1233–41.
35.
Albright CL, Steffen AD, Wilkens LR, Henderson BE, Kolonel LN. The Prevalence of Obesity in Ethnic Admixture Adults. Obes J. 2008;16(5):1138–43.CrossRef
36.
Neuman M, Kawachi I, Gortmaker S, Subramanian V. Urban–rural differences in BMI in low- and middle-income countries: the role of socioeconomic status. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013;97(2):428–36.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
37.
38.
Webber L, Kilpi F, Marsh T, Rtveladze K, Brown M, McPherson K. High Rates of Obesity and Non-Communicable Diseases Predicted across Latin America. PLoS ONE. 2013;7:e39589.CrossRef
39.
Sasson M, Lee M, Jan C, Fontes F, Motta J. Prevalence and associated factors of obesity among Panamanian adults. 1982–2010. PLoS One. 2014;9(3):e91689.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
40.
41.
42.
Cuevas A, Alvarez V, Olivos C. The emerging obesity problem in Latin America. Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2009;7(3):281–8.CrossRefPubMed
43.
Ebrahim S, Kinra S, Bowen L, Andersen E, Ben-Shlomo Y, Lyngdoh T, et al. The Effect of Rural-to-Urban Migration on Obesity and Diabetes in India: A Cross-Sectional Study. PLoS Med. 2010;7(4):e1000268.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
44.
Bes-Rastrollo M, van Dam RM, Martinez-Gonzalez MA, Li TY, Sampson LL, Hu FB. A prospective study of dietary energy density and weight gain in women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008;88:769–77.PubMedPubMedCentral
45.
Savage J, Marini M, Birch L. Dietary energy density predicts women’s weight change over 6 y. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008;88:677–84.PubMedPubMedCentral
46.
Bray GA, Popkin BM. Dietary fat intake does affect obesity! Am J Clin Nutr. 1998;68:1157–73.PubMed
47.
Schulze M, Manson J, Ludwig D, Colditz G, Stampfer M, Willett W, et al. Sugar-sweetened beverages, weight gain, and incidence of type 2 diabetes in young and middle-aged women. JAMA. 2004;292:927–34.CrossRefPubMed
48.
Bes-Rastrollo M, Sánchez-Villegas A, Gómez-Gracia E, Martínez JA, Pajares RM, Martínez-González MA. Predictors of weight gain in a Mediterranean cohort: the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;83:362–70.PubMed
49.
Vartanian LR, Schwartz MB, Brownell KD. Effects of Soft Drink Consumption on Nutrition and Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;97:667–75.
50.
Dhingra R, Sullivan L, Jacques PF, Wang TJ, Fox CS, Meigs JB, et al. Soft Drink Consumption and Risk of Developing Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and the Metabolic Syndrome in Middle-Aged Adults in the Community. Circulation. 2007;116:480–8.CrossRefPubMed
51.
Dieguez JA, Rogelio: Indigencia y Pobreza. Encuesta de Mercado de Trabajo. Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas; Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas. Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud: Panama City, Panama. 2012.
52.
Pena MB J. La obesidad en la pobreza: un nuevo reto para la salud pública. Washington, DC: Organización Panamerican de la Salud; 2000. p. 132.
53.
Uauy R, Albala C, Kain J. Obesity Trends in Latin America: Transiting from Under - to Overweight. J Nutr. 2001;131:893S–9S.PubMed
54.
Janssen I, Katzmarzyk PT, Ross R. Waist Circumference and not body mass index explains obesity-related health risk. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;79:6.
55.
Basterra-Gortari FJ, Bes-Rastrollo M, Seguí-Gómez M, Forga L, Martínez JA, Martínez-González MA. Tendencias de la obesidad, diabetes mellitus, hipertensión e hipercolesterolemia en España, 1997–2003. Med Clin (Barc). 2007;129(11):405–8.CrossRef
56.
Janssen I, Katzmarzyk PT, Ross R. Body mass index, waist circumference, and health risk: evidence in support of current National Institutes of Health guidelines. Arch Intern Med. 2002;162:6.CrossRef
57.
Rashid S, Genest J. Effect of Obesity on High-density Lipoprotein Metabolism. Obes Rev. 2007;15(12):2875–88.CrossRef
58.
Gonzalez-Campoy J, St Jeor S, Castorino K, Ebrahim A, Hurley D, Jovanovic L, et al. Clinical Practice Guidelines For Healthy Eating for the Prevention and Treatment of Metabolic and Endocrine Diseases in Adults. American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. American College of Endocrinology. Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud: Panama City, Panama. Obesity Journal. vol. 19; 2013.
Metadata
Title
Prevalence of obesity in panama: some risk factors and associated diseases
Authors
Anselmo Mc Donald
Ryan A. Bradshaw
Flavia Fontes
Enrique A. Mendoza
Jorge A. Motta
Alberto Cumbrera
Clara Cruz
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-2397-7

Other articles of this Issue 1/2015

BMC Public Health 1/2015 Go to the issue

Research article

Treatment outcomes and their determinants in HIV patients on Anti-retroviral Treatment Program in selected health facilities of Kembata and Hadiya zones, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, Ethiopia

Research article

Household antimicrobial self-medication: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the burden, risk factors and outcomes in developing countries

Research article

Effects of the Swedish physical activity on prescription model on health-related quality of life in overweight older adults: a randomised controlled trial

Research article

Does the social context of early alcohol use affect risky drinking in adolescents? Prospective cohort study

Research article

Dietary practices among individuals with diabetes and hypertension are similar to those of healthy people: a population-based study

Research article

Coping strategies of HIV-affected households in Ghana