Valoración del índice de masa corporal en migrantes desde el noreste argentino que concurren al centro de salud "Juana Azurduy" en relación con el tiempo de residencia en la ciudad de Rosario

Resumen

The global obesity epidemic has been attributed, among other factors, to the urbanization\nphenomenon, which leads to a lower level of physical activity, a sedentary lifestyle and changes in eating habits, causing a positive energy balance and the consequent increase in body weight. Accordingly, several studies indicate that migration from rural areas to the city determines a higher risk of obesity.\nThe aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity assessed by body mass index (BMI) in a population of migrants from northeast Argentina and settled in Empalme Graneros neighborhood in Rosario City that attend to Juana Azurduy Health Center, respect to the migration time. The presence of co-morbid cardiovascular risk associated with overweight and obesity was also evaluated.\nAn observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted. A sample of 18 Caucasian adults, ranging in age from 23 to 80 years2(49.34 ± 13.31 years old) was evaluated. The average BMI of the sample was 28.76 ± 7.43 kg/m . Data were collected from medical histories performed by the physicians of the health center. The protocol was approved by the Health Department of the Municipality of Rosario.\nAccording to BMI categories assigned by the WHO, 27.8 % of the subjects showed a normal BMI, 38.9 % were overweight and 33.3 % obese. BMI was higher in men (40.7 ± 15.55 kg/m2) than in women (27.27 ± 5.02 kg/m2) (p=0.01).\nThe average migration time was 18.82 ± 10.25 years. No significant gender differences were\nfound. When considering the age, the regression analysis did not show significant results. The obese and overweight subjects showed significantly higher migration times than subjects with normal BMI (24.5 ± 7.71, 16.42 ± 12.8, and 12 ± 7.74 years respectively, p=0.04). By grouping the sample into the categories of obese (BMI  30 kg/m2) and non-obese (BMI <30 kg/m2), the first group showed an average migration time significantly higher than the non-obese group (p=0.03).\nIn regard to the cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF), 5.5% of the subjects under study showed hypertriglyceridemia and 11.1 % (n=2) hypertension. No statistically significant differences between time of migration and each of the mentioned co-morbidities were found.\nThe present study show that migration to urban peripheral areas might be related with obesity.