Obesity and overweight among workers at the Leonilda Tamayo Matos Polyclinic

Abstract

A new pandemic is sweeping the world. It's not polluting, and what's worse, despite being visible, we pay no attention to it. The evil is revealing itself to us in all its dimensions: the obesity and overweight pandemic, which affects one billion people worldwide, and obesity, which affects another 500 million. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Leonilda Tamayo Matos Polyclinic to understand the behavior of obesity and overweight among workers from November 2024 to March 2025. The sample consisted of 111 patients. The sample consisted of 66 patients. The results were collected over a five-month period. Anthropometric measurements (weight, height, abdominal circumference) were taken to obtain the body mass index (BMI) based on the Quetelet index (weight/height). The information was stored in an Excel database for organization, processing, and analysis. Patients provided voluntary consent. The most representative age group was 30 to 39 years, with a predominance of women. The majority of those surveyed were at risk for cardiovascular disease. College education and white race predominated. Most workers did not engage in regular physical activity. The current rise in overweight and obesity should be reduced, and it would be appropriate and realistic to consider measures aimed at halting the upward trend to prevent these conditions from increasing at the same rate. These include changes in eating habits, physical activity (dance therapy) three times a week, and adopting a non-sedentary lifestyle.