Prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity in Spanish population aged 65 years and over: ENPE study

[Prevalence of obesity and diabetes in Spain. Evolution in the last 10 years]

The prevalence of overweight and obesity has been increasing in recent decades, worldwide and in all age groups, including children and adolescents. In Spain, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is high and is expected to increase in the coming years. The World Atlas of Obesity suggests that in 2035 the prevalence of obesity in Spain will be high or very high, both in adults and children, following the worldwide trend. The prevalence of diabetes and obesity in Spain is higher in older people, especially those aged 65 and over. In the case of Spanish children and adolescents, there seems to be a stabilization in the rates of overweight and obesity, with the exception of the group of girls aged 10-15 years, where a gradual increase has been observed in the last 10 years.

On behalf of the study investigators. Glycemic and weight control in people with type 2 diabetes: A real-world observational study in primary care

AIMS

To analyze glycemic and bodyweight control in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and prescribing patterns in primary care.

METHODS

We reviewed the electronic medical records of 5009 randomly selected T2DM patients, from 70 health centers in Spain. We analyzed results by age group and presence/absence of obesity. All data were collected in 2022.

RESULTS

Regarding treatment, 13.2 % of the sample were on lifestyle therapy only, 76.5 % received metformin, 37.6 % SGLT2 inhibitors, 32.2 % DPP-4 inhibitors, 12.2 % GLP-1 agonists, 18.9 % insulin, 6.5 % sulfonylureas, and 1.3 % glitazones. Glycated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) was below 7 % in 57.7 % of patients, and 62.3 % met their individualized HbA1c targets. Overall, 42 % of the population was obese (45.6 % of women vs 39.1 % of men; p = 0.001). Obesity rates decreased with age in both sexes. We found no association between obesity and poor glycemic control (HbA1c<7 %) (43,5 % vs 41,4 %; p = 0,17).

CONCLUSIONS

In 2022, over 60 % of people with T2DM treated by family doctors in Spain met their individualized glycemic control targets, but only one in three had good glycemic control without obesity. The use of drugs with cardiorenal benefits (particularly SGLT2 inhibitors) is higher than previous published data in our setting.

[Cardiovascular preventive recommendations. PAPPS 2024 thematic updates]

The recommendations of the semFYC's Program for Preventive Activities and Health Promotion (PAPPS) for the prevention of vascular diseases (VD) are presented. New in this edition are new sections such as obesity, chronic kidney disease and metabolic hepatic steatosis, as well as a 'Don't Do' section in the different pathologies treated. The sections have been updated: epidemiological review, where the current morbidity and mortality of CVD in Spain and its evolution as well as the main risk factors are described; vascular risk (VR) and recommendations for the calculation of CV risk; main risk factors such as arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes mellitus, describing the method for their diagnosis, therapeutic objectives and recommendations for lifestyle measures and pharmacological treatment; indications for antiplatelet therapy, and recommendations for screening of atrial fibrillation, and recommendations for management of chronic conditions. The quality of testing and the strength of the recommendation are included in the main recommendations.

Prevalence of obesity in Spain and its autonomous communities, 1987-2020

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Obesity is a public health concern with a strong impact on the health of the population. The aim of this study was to analyze the trend in the prevalence of obesity and to identify changes in this trend in Spain and its 17 autonomous communities (AC) among the population aged ≥ 15 years from 1987 to 2020.

METHODS

A trend analysis of the prevalence of obesity was conducted with data extracted from the complete historical series of the Spanish National Health Survey and the European Health Survey in Spain using joinpoint regression models. For each period identified in the trend analysis, we estimated the annual percentage change (APC) and its 95% confidence interval (95%CI). The results are presented for crude and standardized prevalences by the direct method accompanied by 95%CI, sex ratios, and relative changes in prevalences between periods.

RESULTS

The prevalence of obesity increased from 7.3% (95%CI, 7.0-7.7) in 1987 to 15.7% (95%CI, 15.1-16.3) in 2020. In men, the prevalence increased until 2009 (APC,4.3; [95%CI, 3.8-5.0]) and then stabilized. In women, the prevalence increased until 2001 (APC,4.2; [95%CI, 2.7-8.8]) and subsequently also stabilized. The prevalence of obesity and its trend varied between AC, with three different patterns being observed with standardized prevalences: AC with a continuous increase, AC with an increase and subsequent stabilization, and AC with an increase and subsequent decrease.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of obesity has increased in Spain since 1987, although in the last decade it has remained stable at values above 15%. However, in the group aged 15 to 24 years, the prevalence of obesity showed an increasing trend throughout the study period.

Effect of the Healthy Dish Method to Reduce Waist Circumference in Teachers with Abdominal Obesity of a Peruvian University

Introduction

Obesity has increased steadily in recent decades, becoming a worldwide pandemic.

Objective

To determine the effect of the "Healthy Dish" method to reduce waist circumference in teachers with abdominal obesity in a Peruvian University.

Methods

Quasi-experimental, prospective study in 43 teachers, divided into 21 in the control group and 22 in the experimental group, who received a two-session workshop on abdominal obesity and the "Healthy Dish" method. The latter was applied for 2 months, monitored 5 days a week, the waist circumference of both groups was measured at one month and at two months and compared. For the statistical analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics or nonparametric statistics were applied (Mann-Whitney U-test, according to the assumption of normality).

Results

The predominant age range was 40 to 49 years, women, married, overweight, with a family history of hypertension, cancer and diabetes mellitus. After the intervention, 40.9% of teachers in the experimental group decreased their waist circumference and 54.5% normalized it, while the control group decreased it by 23.8% and 47.6% normalized it. Only 4.54% of teachers in the experimental group showed no change in their waist circumference, compared to 19.0% in the control group, and 9.52% of teachers in the control group increased their waist circumference.

Conclusion

The healthy dish method has a positive effect on decreasing waist circumference in teachers with abdominal obesity.

Assessing quality of life with SarQol is useful in screening for sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity in older women

BACKGROUND

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) may be impaired in the presence of sarcopenia. Since a specific quality of life questionnaire became available for sarcopenia (SarQol), cutoffs to screen for this condition have been proposed, prompting the need to assess them in different populations. Due to the lack of consensus on diagnostic criteria, the tool has not yet been analyzed in screening for sarcopenic obesity.

AIM

Our aim is to measure the SarQoL's metric properties and establish a cutoff in QoL assessments that could be used along the diagnostic pathway for sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity in community-dwelling older women.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study assessed women aged ≥ 70 years using the SarQol, sarcopenia criteria (EWGSOP2) and sarcopenic obesity criteria (ESPEN/EASO). Cutoffs for the SarQol were defined with a receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curve, and sensitivity and specificity were analyzed.

RESULTS

Of the 95 included women (mean age 76.0 years, standard deviation [SD] 5.7), 7.3% (n = 7) were classified as having sarcopenic obesity, 22.1% (n = 21) as having sarcopenia, and 70.5% (n = 67) as not having sarcopenia. The total SarQol score was higher in women without sarcopenia (66.5 SD 16.2) versus those with sarcopenia (56.6 SD 15.6) and sarcopenic obesity (45.1 SD 7.9). A cutoff of ≤ 60 points is proposed for sarcopenia screening (area under the ROC curve [AUC] 0.67; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.53-0.80; sensitivity 61.9%; specificity 62%), and ≤ 50 points for sarcopenic obesity (AUC 0.85; 95% CI 0.74-0.95; sensitivity 71.4%; specificity 76.9%).

CONCLUSIONS

Quality of life is compromised in women with sarcopenia and especially in those with sarcopenic obesity. The SarQol could be useful in screening for these conditions, providing insight into health-related quality of life in older people with sarcopenia.

Prevalence and Clinical Conditions Related to Sarcopaenia among Older Persons Living in the Community

(1) Background: In health care and in society at large, sarcopaenia is a disorder of major importance that can lead to disability and other negative health-related events. Our study aim is to determine the prevalence of sarcopaenia among older people attended in primary care and to analyse the factors associated with this age-related clinical condition; (2) Methods: A multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted of 333 community-dwelling Spanish adults aged 65 years or more. Sociodemographic, clinical, functional, anthropometric, and pharmacological data were collected. Sarcopaenia was defined following European Working Group on Sarcopaenia in Older People (EWGSOP) criteria; (3) Results: Sarcopaenia was present in 20.4% of the study sample, and to a severe degree in 6%. The intensity of the association between sarcopaenia and frailty was weak-moderate (Cramer V = 0.45). According to the multinomial logistic regression model performed, sarcopaenia was positively associated with age and with the presence of psychopathology (OR = 2.72; 95% CI = 1.30–5.70) and was inversely correlated with body mass index (OR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.67–0.80; (4) Conclusions: Sarcopaenia commonly affects community-dwelling older persons and may be associated with age, body mass index, and psychopathology. The latter factor may be modifiable or treatable and is therefore a possible target for intervention.