Abstract Body: Introduction: Obesity is associated with an increased risk of non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, cancers, and other conditions, including obstructive sleep apnea and osteoarthritis. Obesity is largely preventable, and the WHO recommends to Member States to halt the rise of obesity by 2025, considering 2010 as baseline.
Hypothesis: This analysis aims to assess if Italy can meet the WHO target in the general adult population using data measured in the periodic health examination surveys (HESs) conducted within the CUORE Project.
Methods: In the HES started in 2023, mean level of BMI and prevalence of obesity (BMI>=30 kg/m²) and overweight (25<=BMI<30 kg/m²) were assessed in representative random samples of resident population, aged 35-74 years, stratified by age and sex (1,216 men and 1,235 women), from 12 (of 20) Italian Regions, in Northern, Central and Southern Italy. Weight and height were measured using standardized methods. Insufficient physical activity was defined as less than 150 minutes of
moderate-intensity activity per week or less than 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity per week. The survey is implemented with the technical and financial support of the Ministry of Health - National Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Results: Prevalence of obesity was 23% (95% Confidence Interval -95% CI: 18-28%) in men and 24% (95% CI: 19-28%) in women; prevalence of overweight was 47% (95% CI: 41-52%) in men and 30% (95% CI : 25-35%) in women. Mean level of BMI was 27.6 kg/m² (95% CI : 27.3-27.9 kg/m²) in men and 27.3 kg/m² (95% CI : 26.5-28.1 kg/m²) in women. Obesity had a tendency to be higher in persons with insufficient physical activity (28% - 20-36% in men; 27% - 20-33% in women) than among those with sufficient physical activity (19% - 13-24% in men; 20% - 14-27% in women), and in persons with primary or secondary school education (30% - 21-40% in men; 32% - 22-42% in women) than in those with higher educational level (20% - 14-25% in men; 20% - 15-25% in women).
Conclusions: Going in the direction of WHO target, preliminary data collected within 2023 showed a prevalence of obesity not statistically different compared to HES data of 15 and 5 years ago, both in men and women. However, 70% of men and 55% of women are in the overweight/obesity condition. Preventive actions at national and community level should be still massively implemented.