Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To estimate the association between poverty and overweight/obesity in the population between 5 and 19 years of age in the Pacific Region and Bogotá D.C. -Colombia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Mixed ecological study with retrospective time series analysis (2015-2019) of the prevalence of overweight/obesity in the Pacific Region and Bogotá D.C. and analysis of the Unsatisfied Basic Needs Index in 2018. We developed a multiple regression analysis, using fixed effects panel data negative binomial regression models to analyze the association between overweight/obesity and unsatisfied basic needs in the interested territorial entities. RESULTS: Obesity prevalences were estimated from 133 (Cauca) to 1,127 (Bogotá D.C.) cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Households with conditions of misery and poverty in the departments of Nariño (OR 1.6 IC 1.6 -1.7) and Chocó (OR 1.5 IC 1.5-1.6) had a higher risk of overweight/obesity than the other territories analyzed. DISCUSSION: Overweight/obesity is a social problem given its multifactorial nature. To improve understanding, the influence of dimensions such as social class and ethnicity should be considered.