Nutritional status of adults in Northwest Argentina: an observational study

ANDRADE, LAUTARO D.; MARTÍNEZ, JORGE IVÁN; ALFARO GÓMEZ, EMMA L.; DIPIERRI, JOSÉ E.

Journal of Public Health and Emergency

AME Publishing Company

Año: 2022

2520-0054

Background: Northwestern Argentina (NWA) is a region with geographic, ethnic, socioeconomic, andcultural characteristics that set it apart from the rest of the country. The present study aimed to analyze boththe anthropometry and nutritional status of adults in this region and establish its recent secular trend.Methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study that utilized the National Risk Factor Survey(NRFS) 2018. We calculated the body mass index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and relative fatmass (RFM) by sex in the six provinces that comprise the NWA region based on the weight, height, andwaist circumference data of 3,283 individuals. We also calculated the prevalence of underweight, overweight,and obesity. Furthermore, we evaluated the correlation and correspondence between measurements andanthropometric indexes. Joinpoint regression analyses were performed to identify trend changes, which werethen compared with that established for the rest of the country.Results: The regional population presented a heterogeneous distribution of anthropometric variables,in which the Andean provinces of Salta and Jujuy presented the lowest height and weight and highestpercentage of body fat. These anthropometric differences were not evident in the prevalence of nutritionalstatus determined by the BMI, which did not exhibit significant variations between the region and the restof the country. Excess body weight, as measured by any of the indexes, reached over 65% of the population,and the prevalence of obesity in both sexes was higher than that established for Argentina overall. Thesecular trend in obesity was positive and higher in some provinces compared to the region and the rest of thecountry. These differences are interpreted according to the geographic, ethnic, socioeconomic, and culturalcharacteristics of the region.Conclusions: The anthropometric variables registered in some provinces vary significantly comparedto those of the country as a whole, and these differences are not captured by the traditionally used obesityindices.