Overweight and associated factors in Quilombolas from the middle San Francisco, Bahia, Brazil

The aim of this article was to analyze the prevalence of overweight and associated factors in adult quilombolas (inhabitants of black communities) from the Middle San Francisco, Bahia. Cross-sectional study with a sample of 112 adults. Overweight was evaluated by body mass index (BMI). Linear regression was used to test associations. The mean age of the participants was 42.1 (standard deviation 18.5) years and there was a predominance of females (55.4%). The prevalence of overweight was 27.7% (95% confidence interval: 19.3;36.1), with a mean BMI of 23.1 (± 3.8) kg/m2. Factors that remained associated in multiple linear regression analysis (p < 0.05) were female gender, negative self-assessment of health, and increased mean arterial pressure (adjusted R2 0.326). The increase in BMI among quilombolas was associated with female gender, negative self-assessment of health and higher mean blood pressure levels.