Introduction:

Obesity is defined as the presence of an excessive amount of body fat. It is associated with a higher frequency of chronic diseases. Data from Cuba suggest that the prevalence of overweight and obesity is higher than in some European and Latin American countries.

Objectives:

To determine, in a health area, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in working women.

Method:

Observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study carried out, in the period between October 2018 and January 2019, in the service area of ​​Antonio Pulido Humarán Teaching Polyclinic of La Lisa Musicality, Havana. The sample was made up of 237 women, aged 18-60 years. The presence of overweight and obesity was determined by the body mass index and waist circumference.

Results:

Overweight was found in 45.6% of the sample and obesity, in 28.6%. 44.3% had waist circumference with substantially increased metabolic risk. 35% of the women had overweight and did not take regular physical exercise, while 24.9% had obesity and did not take any physical exercise either. The professions that predominated the most were those with high degree of sedentary lifestyle.

Conclusions:

The prevalence of overweight and obesity was high, and it was higher than other studies carried out in Cuba.

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