Self-rated health and its relation with obesity among adults in Mexico and Argentina, 2018

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: There is evidence that self-reported health is related to obesity, although the association would be mediated by diseases or conditions that affect health or by the sex or age of the person. In countries with high prevalence of obesity among adults such as Mexico or Argentina, it is essential to study the relationship between self-reported health and obesity to understand the factors that affect self-assessment. The objective was to determine that relationship among adults aged 50 and over in Mexico and Argentina. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed self-assessed health in a global way regarding the definition of obesity according to body mass index. The data came from the 2018 Mexican Health and Aging Study and the 2018 National Survey of Risk Factors of Argentina. Ordinal logit regression models with partial proportional odds were constructed to determine the relationship between self-reported health and obesity, adjusting for various socioeconomic and health variables. RESULTS: A lower probability of a self-report of good health was associated with the presence of obesity, but this was only significant in women. DISCUSSION: It is necessary to explore the differences between women and men regarding the relationship between self-reported health and obesity, as well as the perception or cultural or social assessment of obesity differentiated by sex among adults from Mexico and Argentina.