During 1999 and 2000, a population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Pelotas, southern Brazil, to describe the population distribution of abdominal adiposity according to "action level points" and to identify risk factors. The study included a sample of 1,935 adults (20-69 years) residing in urban areas. Abdominal obesity was classified as action level I for waist circumference (WCLI) 80-88cm in women and 94-102cm in men; and as action level II (WCLII) for > 88cm in women and > 102cm in men. Abdominal obesity was present in 62% of women and 37% of men. Some 23% and 19% of men and women were classified as WCLI, respectively; 39% of women and 19% of men were classified as WCLII. After adjustment for confounding variables, age and being married or in a stable relationship were strongly associated with WCLII. Schooling was a risk factor in men only, and family income in women. In women, income was inversely associated with abdominal obesity. Use of a simple measurement such as waist circumference, which allows identification of levels of intervention, should be incorporated into health promotion measures, especially to help community health workers monitor the population needs.
Waist Circumference; Obesity; Anthropometry; Risk Factors
