Overweight and Obesity among Workers of the Public Transportation Service of Lima

Excess weight is a public health problem and has a negative impact on health.

To determine the frequency of excess weight and its associated factors among workers of the public transport service in Lima.

This was an observational, cross-sectional, and descriptive study. Workers of public transport service companies were considered as the study population. The study variable was excess body weight, which included overweight and obesity. For its determination, the Body-Mass Index (BMI) was used.

A total of 238 workers of both sexes participated in the study. The median age was 39 years (interquartile range: 47-32). Of the sample, 93.7% (n=223) were male, 63.4% (n=151) were between 30 and 49 years of age, 67.6% (n=161) worked in the driver's position, and the rest worked as ticket collectors. According to BMI, 81.1% (n=193) had excess weight, of which 44.1% (n=105) corresponded to the overweight and 37% (n=88) to the obesity category. Only 18.9% (n=45) of the sample were in the normal range. Excess weight occurred in a higher proportion among workers belonging to the age group of 30 to 49 years (p=0.002), in cohabiting and or married people (p=0.006), and in bus drivers (p=0.003).

The workers of the public transport service in Lima have a very high prevalence of excess weight. It is higher than the national average. The factors associated with excess weight were the following: age group between 30 and 49 years, marital status, and working as a driver. It requires a sanitary intervention in the family and the workplace.