[High prevalence of abdominal obesity among the elderly and its association with diabetes, hypertension and respiratory diseases].

Rapid population aging and abdominal obesity (AO) are worldwide public health problems among the elderly and have been insufficiently investigated. This article sets out to identify the prevalence of AO among the elderly, its association with different morbidities, sociodemographic variables, and lifestyle according to sex. It is a cross-sectional study with a representative sample of elderly people resident in Goiânia, Brazil. Home visits were conducted to measure weight, height, waist circumference (WC), blood pressure, and to fill out a standardized form. The outcome variable, was calculated at WC> 102 cm for men and> 88 cm for women. Multiple Poisson regression was performed using a hierarchical model, adopting a significance level of 5%. The prevalence of AO was 55.1%, with 65.5% in women and 34.8% in men, with a significant difference (p <0.001). In men, AO was associated with age range between 70 and 74 years, the presence of respiratory diseases and high blood pressure. In women, AO continued to be associated with the presence of diabetes mellitus. The results contribute to the understanding of AO and developing preventive approaches in public health.