Associação entre fatores comportamentais modificáveis e índice de adiposidade visceral (IAV) em uma coorte de nascimento brasileira

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Modifiable behavioral factors, such as physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, ultra-processed foods (UPF) consumption are associated with abdominal obesity which is a risk factor for noncommunicable chronic diseases. The visceral adiposity index (VAI) is able to measure visceral adipose tissue dysfunction associated with cardiometabolic risks in a simple and accessible way. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between modifiable behavioral factors - consumption of UPF, alcohol, cigarettes and level of physical activity (PA) - and VAI in adults belonging to the first birth cohort from Ribeirão Preto, aged 23-25 and 37-39 years old. METHODS: This was a prospective study with 1031 adults of both sexes belonging to two follow-ups of the 1978-1979 birth cohort in Ribeirão Preto - SP. The model studied included socioeconomic status as latent variable, modifiable behavioral factors as exposures and VAI as outcome variable. Structural Equation Modeling was used to identify the associations between variables. RESULTS: In men, at 23-25 years, cigarette smoking was associated with higher levels of VAI (SCtotal - standardized coefficient = 0.233, p<0.001) and at 37-39 years (SCtotal = 0.079, p=0.016). PA was associated with lower levels of VAI at 23-25 years (SCtotal = -0.120, p=0.048) and at 37-39 years (SCtotal = -0.158, p=0.008). In women, UPF consumption at 37-39 years was associated with higher levels of VAI in the same follow-up (SCtotal = 0.107, p=0.014). Smoking was associated with higher levels of VAI at 23-25 years (SCtotal = 0.106, p=0.003) and at 37-39 years (SCtotal = 0.059, p=0.028). Smoking at 37-39 years was associated with higher levels of VAI at 37-39 years (SCtotal = 0.081, p=0.004). CONCLUSION: UPF consumption in women and cigarette smoking, in both sexes elevate possibe visceral adipose tissue dysfunction. Physical activity reduces this outcome and its cardiometabolic risks, only among men.