Awareness and knowledge about weight status and management: results from the 1 d sensitization campaign 'Obesity Day' in northern Italy

Dipartimento di Scienze eTecnologie Alimentari e Microbiologiche (DISTAM), International Center for the Assessment of Nutritional Status(ICANS), Universita` degli Studi di Milano, via Botticelli 21, 20133 Milano, ItalySubmitted 26 March 2010: Accepted 9 January 2011: First published online 22 February 2011AbstractObjective: To evaluate the awareness and knowledge about weight status and itsmanagement.Design: A 1d cross-sectional survey. Basic anthropometric assessments (weight,height, BMI and waist circumference) and a self-administered questionnaire wereconsidered.Setting: Nineteen Clinical Nutrition or Endocrinology and Metabolic DisordersUnits or Dietetics Services in the Italian region of Lombardy.Subjects: All adults attending the ‘Obesity Day’ initiative.Results: A total of 914 participants (605 female and 309 male) were recruited.Although most of the participants (83?5%) considered obesity to be a disease,38?5% were likely to misperceive their weight status. In particular, 38?8% ofnormal-weight adults believed themselves to be overweight, whereas 71?1% and37?5% of classes I and II/III obese adults classified themselves as being over-weight and mildly obese, respectively. However, most of the overweight (90?2%),mildly(96?8%)andmoderately/severelyobeseadults(99?1%)recognizedtheneedto lose weight. In all, 37?8% of the sample underestimated the role of physicalactivity in weight management. Interestingly, only 17?2% of dieters (previous orcurrent) declared being advised by their doctor to lose weight. Multivariate modelsrevealed that higher age, low education and higher BMI were important determi-nants of poor weight control and management. In addition, previous dietingappeared not to provide better knowledge, whereas the role of physical activitywas recognized mainly by those practising it.Conclusions: The present study suggests that in Italy knowledge about weightmanagement should be improved not only in the general population but alsoamong health-care professionals. To confirm thisfinding, there isnow the rationalefor a nationally representative survey. New educational programmes can bedesigned on the basis of the information collected.KeywordsBMIWeight statusWeight perceptionWeight managementGiven the time trends of the obesity epidemic, publichealth systems are clearly involved in more effectivemanagement and prevention policies. Weight excess isresponsible for several chronic degenerative disorders,which in turn negatively affect the patient’s outcome.Accumulation of total and abdominal fat has been inde-pendently associated with overall-cause and disease-specific mortality, thus making body weight reduction andlong-term maintenance of weight loss a clinical impera-tive