Excess weight has taken epidemic proportions in recent decades. The present cross-sectional study with a random sample aimed to estimate the prevalence and factors associated with excess weight among workers of a metal-mechanic industry in Joinville, Santa Catarina. Anthropometric data were collected and a self-administered questionnaire completed. Crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (PR), and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated, using the Poisson Regression. The response rate was 98.6% (n = 475), 84.8% were men, and 79.4% were employed in manufacturing. The prevalence of overweight was 53.0% (95% CI 48.5% - 57.6%). After adjusted analysis, women had a lower prevalence of the outcome (PR 0.19 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.73). The prevalence was higher among those aged over 30 (PR 1.69 95% CI 1.33 to 2.15) or 40 years (PR 2.00 95% CI 1.56 to 2.57), reporting a chronic disease (PR 1.23 95% CI 1.04 to 1.45), or who assessed their health as poor (PR 1.23 95% CI 1.02 to 1.49). Furthermore, there was an interaction between education and sex: for men with basic education, the prevalence of overweight was 30% lower than among those with more schooling (PR 0.71 95% CI 0.51 to 0.99), while among women with basic education, the prevalence was almost six times higher than among those with higher education (PR 5.57 95% CI 1.28 to 24.25). The results strengthen the differences between genders and various socioeconomic indicators on the prevalence of overweight.
Overweight; Obesity; Workers; Educational status
