Trends of self-rated health in relation to overweight in the adult population in Brazilian Midwest capitals

ABSTRACT: Objective: To estimate the trends of self-rated health in relation to overweight in the adult population of the capitals of the Brazilian Midwest region and the Federal District. Methods: Cross-sectional study with a population aged 20 to 59 years, using data from the Telephone-based Surveillance of Risk and Protective Factors for Chronic Diseases (VIGITEL), performed between 2008 and 2014. The estimates using the complex sampling design were made using simple linear regression, trend graphs and Boxplot. Results: The categories “poor” and “very poor” didn’t increase in the analyzed period. There was an average increase of 0.5 percentage point per year in the categories “fair” and “good” and an average decrease of 1.0 percentage point in the category “very good”. The trend analysis of mean body mass index found there was a progressive growth in all cities. The worst health perceptions showed higher values of body mass index in both sexes. We observed the existence of obese people assessing their health positively. Conclusion: Self-rated health remained relatively constant whereas the body mass index continued to grow between 2008 and 2014. The self-rated health of individuals with high body mass index (>30 kg/m2) does not seem to be directly related to their weight. Therefore, it is important to analyze the association of these two variables controlling for morbidity, health behaviors (smoking and alcohol consumption, physical activity and diet), and sociodemographic factors.