AN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY REGARDING OBESITY PREVALENCE IN A RURAL AREA OF BIHOR COUNTY
Abstract
Background and aims: A high prevalence of obesity is found at global and national level, representing an important problem for the public health. The purpose of this work was to develop preventive medicine by performing an epidemiological study in order to identify people with obesity. We also aimed to analyze obesity prevalence and the influence of the family medical history of obesity in the analyzed population segment. Material and methods: Between 2011 and April 2014 we have been working on a descriptive, observational study in a rural zone of Bihor County – the Curtuiuseni village. Results: In a relatively young population (average age around 50 years) the obesity prevalence was high (21.41%). The risk of obesity in the population with a positive family history of obesity was 2.2 higher compared with the population without. Abdominal obesity was more frequent in females (59.24%) than males (34.27%). Conclusion: We found a high prevalence of obesity (21.41%) in a rural population of Bihor County, but lower than the country average (31.40%). Pathological waist circumference, representing a risk factor for cardiometabolic diseases, was found in 48.32% of cases.