Weight Gain and Change in Body Mass Index after Age 20 in the Brazilian Population and Associated Sociodemographic Factors: Data from the National Health Survey

Obesity is considered one of the main contemporary public health problems. We aim to assess changes in body weight and nutritional status in adulthood and the associated sociodemographic variables. We use data from the 2013 National Health Survey (n = 21,743). Changes in weight and body mass index (BMI) were calculated based on mean difference between measurements at age 20 and data collected at the interview, stratified by sex. The association was analyzed using linear regression. Mean weight gain was greater among women than men. The largest gain was verified among the younger adults for both sexes. Age was found to be associated with weight and BMI change in men and women where, for every additional year of age, there was an increase in weight and BMI of 0.10 kg and 0.04 kg/m(2) in men and of 0.22 kg and 0.09 kg/m(2) in women, respectively. For education, a direct association was found for men and an inverse for women. Association with area of residence was significant among males only, where rural men gained less than their urban counterparts. Weight gain was progressive, being more marked in the younger group, and was associated with education differently according to sex.