Spatial distribution of obesity in an urban Brazilian area

Abstract

The spatial distribution of a disease is important for the diagnosis and epidemiological understanding of the health situation and trends, enabling a better grasp of the factors that determine the health status of populations. The scope of the study was to analyze the spatial distribution of obesity in adults in Belo Horizonte. This cross-sectional study was developed by Telephone Survey from the database for 2008 to 2010 of the Surveillance of Risk and Protective Factors for Chronic Diseases. Obesity was defined as body mass index 30 kg/m2. A georeferenced base with the environmental data of addresses and zip codes of the location was developed and spatial scan statistics were employed. A comparative analysis of environmental variables related to clusters of higher and lower prevalence of obesity was conducted. A cluster of obese individuals without statistical significance was found in the central area of the city. Also, a significant cluster of non-obese individuals was found in the eastern area of the city. These findings suggest that reasons for low prevalence of obesity in urban Brazilian areas could be related to better social organization and high availability of places for food stores and the practice of physical activity.