ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Research on the economic burden of sedentary behavior and abdominal obesity on health expenses associated with cardiovascular diseases is scarce.
OBJECTIVE:
The objective of this study was to verify whether sedentary behavior, isolated and combined with abdominal obesity, influences the medication expenditure among adults with cardiovascular diseases.
DESIGN AND SETTING:
This cross-sectional study was conducted in the city of President Prudente, State of São Paulo, Brazil in 2018.
METHODS:
The study included adults with cardiovascular diseases, aged 30-65 years, who were treated by the Brazilian National Health Services. Sedentary behavior was assessed using a questionnaire. Abdominal obesity was defined by waist circumference. Medication expenditures were verified using the medical records of each patient.
RESULTS:
The study included a total of 307 adults. Individuals classified in the group with risk factor obesity combined (median [IQ] USD$ 29.39 [45.77]) or isolated (median [IQ] USD$ 27.17 [59.76]) to sedentary behavior had higher medication expenditures than those belonging to the non-obese with low sedentary behavior group (median [IQ] USD$ 13.51 [31.42]) (P = 0.01). The group with combined obesity and sedentary behavior was 2.4 (95%CI = 1.00; 5.79) times more likely to be hypertensive.
CONCLUSION:
Abdominal obesity was a determining factor for medication expenses, regardless of sedentary behavior, among adults with cardiovascular diseases.
KEY WORDS (MeSH terms):
Sedentary behavior; Public health; Health care costs; Fat body; Waist circumference; Brazil
AUTHORS’ KEYWORDS:
Chronic disease; Medicines; Adult patients
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LSB = Low Sedentary Behavior; HSB = High Sedentary Behavior; * P < 0.05 for Kruskal-Wallis test; # = significant difference (P < 0.05) when compared to the non-obese + LSB group (Mann-Whitney test).