Prevalence of underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity from 1999 to 2023 in subjects undergoing their first endocrinological examination in Liguria: a retrospective cross-sectional study. *

Background. The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries. No studies of this phenomenon in Liguria have been published. Aim. We evaluated the prevalence of underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity in adults undergoing their first endocrinological examination in the district of Savona (Italy). Methods. From 1999 to 2023, 7038 subjects (1429 males; 5616 females) were evaluated. Body mass index (BMI) and some covariates were recorded. Records were grouped into five 5-year periods, and the prevalence of weight groups in each period was evaluated. Results. The prevalence of normal weight was higher in females than in males, while that of overweight/obesity was higher in males than in females. The prevalence of underweight increased slightly (P = 0.05) in females but not in males. Overall, no significant trends in the prevalence of normal weight, overweight and obesity emerged in either sex over the 5-year periods. When BMI was corrected for age, the prevalence of obesity displayed a significant decreasing trend in 18-44-year-old subjects of both sexes (P < 0.001, P = 0.03) and a significant increasing trend in those aged ≥ 65 years (P < 0.0001, P = 0.03). On multivariate analysis, BMI remained positively related with age in the 5-year periods. Conclusions. Our subjects undergoing their first endocrinological evaluation constituted a representative sample of the population of the Savona district. More females than males were of normal weight. Overweight and obesity affected a large part of the population. Overall, the prevalence of weight classes did not change significantly over the 25 years. The greatest change in BMI was age-dependent in both genders.