Hypertension, abdominal obesity and short stature: aspects of nutritional transition within a shantytown in the city of Maceió (Northeastern Brazil)

• Autor(a) principal: da Silva FERREIRA, Haroldo
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Toledo de Menezes FLORÊNCIO, Telma Maria, de Andrade Cardoso FRAGOSO, Mariellena, Palmeira MELO, Fabiana, da SILVA, Taciana Gissely
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista de Nutrição
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.puc-campinas.edu.br/nutricao/article/view/9821
• topic: short stature; hypertension; women; overweight; nutrition transition; baixa estatura; hipertensão; mulheres; sobrepeso; transição nutricional

ObjectiveTo investigate the frequency of occurrence of short stature, overweight, abdominal obesity and arterialhypertension, and the possible correlations among such factors, in women of very low income. The findingswere considered in terms of nutrition transition and the Barker’s programming hypothesis.MethodsA group of 223 women, 18 to 65 years of age, were studied with respect to the following parameters: forbody mass index (kg/m2), values ≥25 indicated overweight and obesity, whilst values <18.5 indicatedunderweight; for waist/hip ratio, values ≥0.8 indicated abdominal adiposity; for systolic/diastolic bloodpressure, values ≥140/90 mm Hg indicated hypertension; and for height, values within the 25th percentile(1st quartile) indicated short stature.ResultsThe frequency of occurrence of overweight and obesity (present in 35.9% of the group) was greater than thatof underweight (9.4% of the group). The diastolic blood pressure was positively associated with body massindex (r= 0.37; CI 95,0%: 0.01 <r2 <0.26) and with waist/hip ratio (r= 0.35; CI 95.0%: 0.01 <r2 <0.25). Subjectsrated within the 1st and the 4th height quartiles, respectively, showed the following results: frequency ofhypertension, 23.3% and 8.9% (odds ratio= 3.08; p= 0.03); frequency of overweight, 41.7% and 35.7%(p= 0.51); mean body mass index, 24.6 and 23.7 (p= 0.27); and mean waist/hip ratio, 0.87 and 0.85 (p= 0.04).ConclusionOverweight and obesity were more prevalent within the group, than was underweight. Short stature, which isan indicator of malnutrition in early life, presents an important risk factor for both hypertension and abdominaladiposity in later life. The studied group appeared to be undergoing a process of nutritional transition,despite their low-income status. The mechanisms of metabolic adaptation to the malnutrition experienced inearly life, might be important factors involved in any explanation of the results obtained in this research.