“In both the child and adult population, excess weight (overweight) and obesity are higher among men. They also show that a lower educational level, a lower level of income, disability and the presence of people with obesity in the home are factors related to a higher prevalence of excess weight and obesity”. The provinces with the highest percentage of the population with obesity, both in men and women, are mainly located in the southern half of the country.
This is the main conclusion of a research carried out by a team from the National Epidemiology Center of the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) and the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN), which estimates the prevalence in Spain of obesity and excess weight, with information on the adult and child population and data distributed by sex, age, geographic location and socioeconomic variables.
The results obtained illustrate what the map of excess weight and obesity is like in Spain. They are based on the analysis of the information collected in 2020 for the ENE-COVID Survey, promoted by the Ministries of Health and Science and Innovation, and coordinated by the ISCIII, which studied the seroprevalence of COVID-19 infection in Spain. 57,131 adults and 10,543 children participated in this work.
The results of research on childhood and adolescent obesity, published in the journal Pediatric Obesity, reveal that in 2020, one in three children between 2 and 17 years of age in Spain was overweight, and one in ten was obese. The prevalence of severe obesity reaches 2.1% of children and adolescents.
The prevalence of all indicators of excess weight is higher in boys (33.7%) than in girls (26%). Regarding obesity, the prevalence is 13.4% in boys and 7.9% in girls, and the prevalence of severe obesity is 2.9% in boys and 1.2% in girls. These prevalences vary with age, they are higher in households with some overweight adult, and they are lower in households with adults with high educational levels or in census sections with higher average income.
By age, the highest prevalences of excess weight, obesity and severe obesity are observed in the 6-9 year old group; In the case of excess weight, the highest prevalence is recorded at 10-13 years of age. In terms of geographical distribution, the lowest prevalence of overweight and obesity has been found in the provinces of the northern half of Spain.
In summary, the researchers point out that the factors associated with excess weight and childhood obesity are “male sex, being between 6 and 9 years old, having a disability, the presence of an adult with excess weight at home, a lower level of home education and living in areas with lower income levels.” Specifically, these last two factors seem to have a greater influence on excess weight and obesity among girls, this work indicates.
The study on obesity in adults, published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, indicates that 55.8% of the population over 18 years of age residing in Spain in 2020 is overweight, a percentage that stands at 18 .7% referred to obesity, and 37.1% to overweight. The prevalence of severe obesity almost reaches 5% of adults (4.9%). And, again, the prevalence is higher in men.
The provinces with the highest percentage of the population with obesity, both in men and women, are located mainly in the southern half of the country, although some provinces in the northwest also have high prevalence (for example, in Lugo it is 28%).
As is the case with the child population, excess weight and obesity in adults is more common in people and population groups with lower levels of education, or who reside in smaller municipalities and in areas with lower income levels.