The prevalence of chronic diseases according to body mass index measured as categorical and integer variable: The case of Spain
Abstract
Abstract Background Body Mass Index (BMI) is lined to many chronic conditions (CC), but associations are often non-linear. Prevalence is typically lowest around normal weight and higher at the extremes (underweight and obesity). However, the precise BMI threshold at which prevalence is minimised or maximised are rarely examined because most studies rely on standard BMI categories rather than exploring the exact shape of the association. Methods We analysed data from six Spanish national health surveys (2006–2023), covering the non-institutionalised population aged 20–84. For 23 CC available consistently across all samples, we calculated prevalence rates by BMI category. To assess the relationship with BMI more precisely, we then fitted generalised additive models (GAMs) to integer BMI values, generating smoothed trend lines without imposing specific functional forms. Results Using standard BMI categories, CC prevalence was generally lowest among people with normal weight, and in some cases underweight, except for migraine and allergies, where the lowest prevalence occurred among the overweight. For most CC, prevalence was highest among those with morbid obesity (BMI ≥ 35), except for cancer and osteoporosis, which peaked among the underweight. GAMs revealed more nuanced patterns: positive linear (diabetes, stroke, haemorrhoids, and varicose veins); sharp decline followed by gradual increase (cancer and osteoporosis); sharp rise followed by a plateau (prostate problems,…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Calcium Ions in the Physiology and Pathology of the Central Nervous System
- AI-powered in silico twins: redefining precision medicine through simulation, personalization, and predictive healthcare
- In silico functional, structural and pathogenicity analysis of missense single nucleotide polymorphisms in human MCM6 gene
- In Silico drug repurposing pipeline using deep learning and structure based approaches in epilepsy
- Targeting serotonin receptors with phytochemicals – an in-silico study
- In silico exploration of anti-prostate cancer compounds from differential expressed genes
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.