Medication use and obesity in Brazil: results from the National Health Survey

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) associated with obesity generally require drug treatment. The use of medications in individuals with obesity has not been extensively investigated. The objective of this study was to analyze the relation between obesity and medication use. Data from the Brazilian National Health Survey 2013 was used, including 59,402 individuals. Weight and height measures were used to calculate body mass index (BMI) and categorized individuals according to BMI classification (exposure). The number of medications used for treating nine obesity-related NCDs was the outcome variable. Multinomial regression analyses were performed. The risk of use of medications to treat at least one NCD increased progressively with rising BMI, where this risk was even higher for treating two or more diseases. The risk of having to treat two or more NCDs with medications was approximately 70% greater among individuals with overweight (adjusted RR = 1.66; 95%CI 1.46–1.89), 170% greater in those with class I obesity (adjusted RR = 2.68; 95%CI 2.29–3.12), 340% greater for class II obesity (adjusted RR = 4.44; 95%CI 3.54–5.56) and 450% greater among individuals with class III obesity (adjusted RR = 5.53; 95%CI 3.81–8.02), compared with normal-weight subjects. Obesity was directly associated with drug utilization and the number of medications used to treat obesity-related NCDs.