Introduction:

Obesity is a public health problem. In Protestant Christian communities, there is little research that shows the prevalence of this condition, so it is necessary to study this topic by taking into account its consequences for cardiovascular health, quality of life, and mortality of the population.

Objective:

To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults belonging to an evangelical Protestant community in the Barranquilla District.

Methods:

Descriptive and cross-sectional study with 282 adults belonging to Iglesia Cuadrangular in the neighborhood La Paz in Barranquilla. We applied the criteria of International Diabetes Federation, American Heart Association-Adult Treatment Panel III for abdominal obesity, and body mass index for general obesity. The values found were compared based on sex.

Results:

64.5% of the participants were women. The prevalence of obesity or overweight was higher in men, with significant difference (p <0.05); however, abdominal obesity was predominant in women (p<0.05).

Conclusions:

The evangelical population is not exempt from overweight and obesity, especially the male sex, despite not having habits such as alcohol consumption, while some habits are forbidden such as gluttony and eating some harmful foods.

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