Diagnosis and Treatment of Obesity among Mexican Adults

Abstract

Objectives: To quantify the access to diagnosis and treatment of obesity and intentional weight loss among obese adults in Mexico and to identify the sociodemographic factors related to these events. Methods: The 2006 Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey – representative of the adults aged 20 to 64 years – was analyzed. Whether people had received diagnosis and treatment from health professionals and whether they had intentional weight loss were explored. The independent variables were: sex, age, socioeconomic position, locality size, and body weight perception. Analyses were carried out for obese people only (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m², N = 8,545). Results: Among obese people, just 20.2% were diagnosed with such condition, only 8.0% undertook treatment, and barely 5.6% had lost weight intentionally. Individuals with a higher BMI, older individuals, people with higher education, those living in wealthier households, and those living in metropolitan areas were more likely to receive diagnosis and treatment for obesity. Women and people who had been diagnosed as obese were more likely to lose weight. Conclusion: There is an urgent need to increase access to diagnosis and treatment of obesity in Mexico, particularly for men and for lower socioeconomic groups.

Pharmacogenetics of amfepramone in healthy Mexican subjects reveals potential markers for tailoring pharmacotherapy of obesity: results of a randomised trial

“…In Mexico, the issue of obesity is alarming because of its high prevalence 1 ; however, only a small fraction of the population goes to professional health services for diagnosis and treatment 32 . Pérez-Salgado et al .…”

“…Pérez-Salgado et al . suggest that this could be because the government institutions in Mexico focus mainly on raising awareness among the population about diseases that derive from obesity 32 and, therefore, research focused on improving the effectiveness of treatments is needed.…”

<p>Lifestyle intervention for obesity: a call to transform the clinical care delivery system in Mexico</p>

“…Despite the fact that obesity has been declared the “main modifiable risk factor in the country”,7 the latest published data on diagnosis from the Mexican health and nutrition survey showed that only 20% of adults suffering from obesity have been diagnosed by a health care provider 8. The under-diagnosis of obesity is well known, even in developed countries such as the United States 9.…”

“…In relation to obesity management, national-level data revealed that only 8% of individuals with obesity had received treatment by a health care provider 8. However, there is some evidence that a significant proportion of adults may be trying to lose weight, including with strategies that have limited or no scientific support such as herbal products and dietary supplements 16.…”

An index of municipality-level vulnerability to COVID-19 in Mexico

“…Related to the above, Mexican authorities seem to be aware that COVID-19 represents a big challenge given the health status of the population and of the hospital infrastructure. For the former, it is well known that overweight and obesity are a substantial public health issue in Mexico, which ranks worldwide among the highest in obesity rate (Stevens et al, 2008;Pérez-Salgado et al, 2012;Barquera et al, 2013;DiBonaventura et al, 2018;OECD, 2019b). According to the OECD, 72.5% of the population above 15 years old are overweight in Mexico, with at least 15% reaching the category of obese (OECD, 2019b).…”