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ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of obesity in the Murcia Region according to age and sex, and to analyse how obesity is related to demographic and socio-economic determinants

and to other cardiovascular risk factors of interest to the community. DESIGN: Survey on a representative population sample using multi-stage random sampling with definition of the sample

quotas. SUBJECTS: A total of 3091 persons aged 18–65 y residing in the Murcia Region. MEASURMENTS: The following data were collected: socio-economic data; tobacco smoking; recent physical

activity; blood pressure; weight; height; and blood analysis to determine plasma lipids. Obesity was defined by body mass index (BMI)≥30. Intense or vigorous physical activity (VPA≥6

equivalents to baseline metabolic rate or METs) was measured in kilocalories per day and reduced to hours per week. RESULTS: In all, 20.5% of the adult population of the Murcia Region is

obese, and 40.9% is overweight. In the logistic regression analysis, obesity in men is associated with age and level of education. In women it is associated with age, level of education,

living in a non-urban area and being a housewife. When adjusted for socio-economic variables and for other cardiovascular risk factors the effect of age and level of education disappears in

men and it is directly associated with hypertension and hypertriglyceridaemia and inversely related to more than 2 h VPA per week. Obesity in women is associated positively with age,

hypertension, hypertriglyceridaemia and little VPA, and inversely with level of education. CONCLUSIONS: In the Murcia Region 61.4% of the adult population presents with some form of excess

weight. The prevalence of obesity (BMI≥30) is greater in women (23.7%; CI 95% 19.7–27.7) than in men (17.3%; CI 95% 15.3–19.3). The widespread nature of this factor makes it a mass problem

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preventive medicine_ Oxford: Oxford University Press 1992. Download references ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors wish to thank Iñaki Moreno Sueskun for his help in designing the physical activity

questionnaire. This study was financed in part by a FIS aid to investigation (no. 92/0902). AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Unidad Docente de la Gerencia de Atención Primaria

de Murcia, Murcia, Spain MT Martínez-Ros * Servicio de Epidemiología, Consejería de Sanidad y Consumo de la Región de Murcia, Murcia, Spain MJ Tormo, C Navarro & MD Chirlaque * Unidad

Docente de Bioestadística, Facultad de Medicina, Spain D Pérez-Flores Authors * MT Martínez-Ros View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * MJ

Tormo View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * C Navarro View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar *

MD Chirlaque View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * D Pérez-Flores View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed 

Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to MJ Tormo. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Martínez-Ros, M., Tormo, M., Navarro, C.

_et al._ Extremely high prevalence of overweight and obesity in Murcia, a Mediterranean region in south-east Spain. _Int J Obes_ 25, 1372–1380 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801684

Download citation * Received: 01 June 2000 * Revised: 08 January 2001 * Accepted: 16 February 2001 * Published: 12 September 2001 * Issue Date: 01 September 2001 * DOI:

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currently available for this article. Copy to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative KEYWORDS * obesity * prevalence * overweight * Spain *

cardiovascular risk factors * socio-economic factors