Obesity and its association with self-efficacy and metabolic risk factors by region of birth among 40-year-olds participating in the Swedish targeted health dialogues

Objective

Targeted Health Dialogues (THD) is a public health intervention program that aims at preventing cardiovascular disease. THDs were implemented in the Swedish region Scania, in 2020, with the novelty of being conducted in a metropolitan area with a multiethnic population.

This study investigated the prevalence of obesity among 40-year-old THD participants in Scania by region of birth, and its associations with self-efficacy and additional metabolic risk factors.

Methods

Cross-sectional data were retrieved from measurements in the THDs. Study participants included 1831 40-year-olds. Differences in characteristics by region of birth were assessed using chi-squared and ANOVA tests. The associations between overweight, obesity, and high waist-hip ratio (WHR) and self-efficacy and metabolic risk factors (blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, plasma glucose) were assessed using binominal and ordinal logistic regression, adjusted for sex and education and tested for interactions by region of birth.

Results

35.1 % of the participants were overweight (BMI 25–29.9), and 18.7 % were obese (BMI ≥30) with the highest levels among participants born outside Sweden (p = 0.005). Abdominal obesity was also more prevalent among participants born outside Sweden (p = 0.002). Obesity was associated with increased odds of having low self-efficacy (OR per BMI-level: 1.48 (CI 1.24–1.76) and additional metabolic risk factors. No interactions with region of birth were detected.

Conclusions

The prevalence of obesity differed between region of birth and obesity was associated with having low self-efficacy. These findings underline the need to customise lifestyle interventions in a multiethnic population to increase health equity.