Introduction: The prevalence of obesity is growing continuously worldwide, even in Hungary. Since 1988, when the first professional wide-range evaluation was performed, only limited data are available.
Aim: Authors present the results of the ever largest Hungarian obesity-prevalence surveys, performed by family and occupational physicians.
Method: Data from 0.55% of the population above 18 year were registered in all geographical regions of Hungary (43,287 persons; 17,901 males and 25,386 females), close to the proper national representativeness. Age, body mass index, waist circumference, educational level, presence of hypertension and/or diabetes were analyzed statistically and compared with previous data.
Results: The overall prevalence rate of overweight and obesity among men was 40% and 32%, respectively, while overweight and obesity occurred in 32% of women. In the different age groups of men, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was: 32.7% and 18.2% in 18-34 years; 40.1% and 34.4% in 35-59 years; 43.5% and 38.8% in over 60 years, respectively. In the same age groups of women, overweight and obesity occurred in 19.6% and 15.7%, 36.8% and 38.7%, and 36.5% and 39.7%, respectively. Body mass index and waist-circumference were presented according to age, by decades and by type of residency as well. The highest ratio of overweight was registered among men with the highest educational level, while highest ratio of obesity among women having the lowest education. Obesity according to Body mass index and abdominal obesity was the highest in the villages, especially among females. Registered metabolic morbidities were strongly correlated with body mass index and both were inversely related to the level of urbanization.
Conclusions: Over the previous decades, the ratio of the overweight and even the number of obese persons increased significantly, and it was most prominent among males, mainly in younger generation. Obesity means a serious medical, public health and economic problem, and it requires higher public awareness and political support. Orv. Hetil., 2016, 157(31), 1248-1255.
Keywords: Hungary; Magyarország; diabetes; elhízás; hypertension; hypertonia; népegészségügy; obesity; overweight; prevalence; prevalencia; public health; túlsúly.