Differences in Dietary Habits, Physical Exercise, and Quality of Life between Male and Female Patients with Overweight.

Overweight can be an additional problem in patients admitted to hospital. OBJECTIVE: To analyze gender differences in pre-admission dietary habits and physical exercise and in HRQoL at hospital discharge among hospitalized adults with overweight. METHODS: Cross-sectional study in non-diabetic patients enrolled in a clinical trial with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 Kg/m2 at admission. Bivariate analyses used Pearson's chi-square test and Fisher's exact test for qualitative variables and the Mann-Whitney test for numerical variables. RESULTS: The study included 148 males and 127 females. At admission, women had higher BMI (p = 0.016) than men and a larger percentage consumed drugs for depression (p = 0.030) and anxiety (p = 0.049), and followed a religion-based diet (p = 0.022). Pre-admission, women had healthier habits related to dietary caloric intake (p = 0.009) and greater adherence to recommendations for a healthy diet (p = 0.001). At discharge, women described worse self-perceived health (p = 0.044) and greater pain/discomfort (p = 0.004) in comparison to men. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-admission, women had better habits related to a healthy diet and did not differ from men in habits related to physical exercise but had a higher BMI. At discharge, women reported worse self-perceived health and greater pain/discomfort. These differences should be considered for the adequate clinical management of patients with overweight.

Health-Related Quality of Life, Gender, and Culture of Older People Users of Health Services in the Multicultural Landscape of the City of Ceuta (Spain): A Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Perceptions of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) are influenced by sociodemographic variables and by cultural-religious concepts of health, disease, and old age, among others. PURPOSE: To assess the HRQOL of older people in a population with a long history of multiculturalism, the city of Ceuta (Spain), and to compare the results with Spanish reference values. METHOD: A total of 372 individuals (55.4% females) were interviewed using the Spanish version of the Short Form-36 questionnaire. The subjects' mean age was 70.9 (SD = 5) years: 253 were Christians, 93 Muslims, and 26 Jews, representing the proportions in the overall population of these cultural-religious groups. RESULTS: HRQOL differs according to the cultural-religious affiliation, which specifically affects social and psychological dimensions. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: All groups obtained lower social function scores than the reference values, especially the Muslim and Jewish groups. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Health care providers may consider integrating culturally sensitive interventions to improve HRQOL.

OVERWEIGHT OBESITY AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK IN MENOPAUSAL TRANSITION.

INTRODUCTION: the hormonal decline that is characteristic of the menopause, in conjunction with the associated weight gain, is considered a determinant factor of cardiovascular risk. OBJETIVE: to examine weight status in relation to clinical symptoms during the menopausal transition, in women referred from primary care to an endocrinology specialist, to determine potential cardiovascular risk profiles. METHOD: observational analytic cross-sectional study, conducted with data from medical records created at time of referral. STUDY POPULATION: 805 women aged 40 years or older, a sufficient number of subjects and medical records for cardiovascular risk to be estimated. RESULTS: hierarchic cluster analysis distinguished four clusters. The prevalence of obesity in each one exceeded 60%. The highest mean cardiovascular risk was observed in women who were older and presented obesity and hypertension. In younger age groups, the risk was low, rising to levels similar to those of the older women by the age of 65 years. CONCLUSION: these results suggest that preventive and therapeutic monitoring of obesity and modifiable risk factors should be conducted during the menopausal transition, to reduce the risk attributable to these factors, a risk that increases with time.

Introducción: el declive hormonal característico de la menopausia, junto al aumento ponderal añadido, está considerado como un factor determinante de riesgo cardiovascular. Propósito: examinar la situación ponderal en relación con la sintomatología clínica, durante la transición menopáusica, en mujeres derivadas desde atención primaria a la especialidad de endocrinología, para describir los posibles perfiles de riesgo cardiovascular. Método: se realizó un diseño observacional, analítico, de corte transversal, con los datos registrados en las historias clínicas en el momento de la derivación. 805 mujeres con 40 y más años de edad disponían de los registros necesarios para la estimación del riesgo cardiovascular. Resultados: la agrupación jerárquica distingue cuatro grupos. La frecuencia de obesidad en todos ellos superó el 60%, observándose los mayores promedios de riesgo cardiovascular en las mujeres de mayor edad y elevada frecuencia de obesidad e hipertensión arterial. En los grupos de menor edad, la estimación del riesgo fue baja, incrementándose hasta niveles similares a los de mayor edad, al proyectarlo a 65 años. Conclusión: estos resultados sugieren la necesidad de un seguimiento preventivo y terapéutico de la obesidad y los factores de riesgo modificables durante la transición menopáusica, para reducir el riesgo atribuible a dichos factores con el paso de los años.