Association of Sociodemographic Variables and Healthy Habits with Body and Visceral Fat Values in Spanish Workers

Abstract

[eng] The accumulation of fat in the body, especially visceralfat, is associated with various cardiometabolic conditions such as diabetes mellitus andfatty liver. The reasons for the accumulation of this fat are diverse. Some studies, also in theworking population, have shown a clear association between sociodemographic variablesand health habits with scales that assess overweight and obesity. This study aims todetermine how certain sociodemographic variables, such as age, gender, and socioeconomiclevel, as well as certain healthy habits like physical activity and tobacco consumption, affectthe levels of body and visceral fat. Materials and Methods: We conducted a descriptiveand cross-sectional study involving 8590 Spanish workers. The percentage of body andvisceral fat was measured using a bioimpedance analysis with a Tanita DC 430MA device.Results: Both the average values and the prevalence of elevated body and visceral fatincrease with age and decrease with social class and lower levels of physical activity.These values are higher in smokers. A multivariate analysis shows that the variables mostinfluential in increasing the risk of high levels of both body and visceral fat are age andlow levels of physical activity. Conclusions: The profile of a person at high risk of havingelevated body and visceral fat levels is an older male with a low socioeconomic status whosmokes and leads a sedentary lifestyle.