Overweight and associated factors in Basic Education teachers during the Covid-19 pandemic: gender differentials

ABSTRACT Objective To estimate the prevalence of overweight among teachers in Minas Gerais during the Covid-19 pandemic and to review relevant gender associated factors. Methods Cross-sectional and analytical study, websurvey type, carried out with 15,641 teachers of public Basic Education in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Data collection took place from August to September 2020 with the use of a digital form. The dependent variable was overweight, calculated by the body mass index using the teachers’ self-reported weight and height. Poisson regression was used, with robust variance. Results Among the participating teachers, 52.4% were overweight. When stratified by gender, 51.1% women and 58.2% men were considered overweight, with a significant difference between them (p<0.001). There was a higher prevalence of overweight among women in the age group of 30 to 59 years (PR=1.39) and in women 60 years or older (PR=1.45) living in the metropolitan region of the state (PR=1.06) who had children (PR=1.19), who were not exercising (PR=1.09) and with a worse dietary pattern during the pandemic (PR=1.12), much afraid of Covid-19 (PR=1.04) and with anxiety and/or depression during the pandemic (PR=1.14). Among men, there was a higher prevalence of overweight among those individuals aged 30 to 59 years (PR=1.19), who lived with a spouse (PR=1.15) working more than 40 hours per week (PR=1.12) and those with the worst dietary pattern during the pandemic (PR=1.10). Conclusion The results showed a 52.4% prevalence of overweight teachers and different associated factors between the genders.