Abstract

Background/Objective: Many countries and regions have dramatically moved into the last stages of the epidemiological and nutrition transition. The nutritional transition characterized by a poor nutritional quality of diets may be associated with an increased risk of obesity because it is known that ultra-processed food (UPF), total fats, saturated fats, and free sugars have been associated with an increased risk of obesity, while dietary fibre has been associated with a reduced risk of obesity. This study aims to compare obesity and adiposity related indices in two cohorts living in the same location at two different stages of nutrition and epidemiologic transition. Subjects/Methods: The methodology comprises a cross-sectional study. The probabilistic sample was of 1983 individuals (22 to 28 years) living in the municipalities of Limache and Olmué, Chile, who belong to two cohorts (Cohort 1: born in 1974-1978, Cohort 2: born in 1988-1992). Data collection was carried out through questionnaires and anthropometric measurements following standard protocols. Multivariable logistic regressions were calculated. Results: The mean age of participants was 24.7 years, 56.3% were women. Obesity was present in 15.2% of adults of Cohort 1 and 27.0% of Cohort 2. 37.4% of the young adults of Cohort 1 present abdominal obesity and 53.2% of the sample of Cohort 2. At the same age, individuals who belong to Cohort 2 have more likelihood of obesity (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 2.23 (95% CI: 1.76-2.81) and abdominal obesity (AOR: 2.10, 95% CI: 1.72-2.55), controlled by sex and income. Similarly, Cohort 2 showed increased odds of adiposity by waist-height ratio (WHtR) (AOR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.46–2.11), adiposity by body roundness index (BRI) (AOR = 1.96, 95% CI: 1.48–2.61), and adiposity by a body shape index (ABSI) (AOR = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.32–2.10). All associations were statistically significant (p < 0.05), indicating consistently higher obesity and adiposity risk among individuals born in the more recent cohort. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that being born in an epidemiological and nutritional transition and growing up during post-transition may be a possible mechanism for developing obesity. The combined findings suggest that obesity and adiposity patterns have evolved differently by sex across cohorts, with a general shift toward higher adiposity, particularly central adiposity, in the more recent cohort, and with a more marked increase among women