Obesity and Fractures in Postmenopausal Women: A Primary-care Cross-Sectional Study at Santa Maria, Brazil

Obesity and osteoporosis are chronic disorders with increasing prevalence worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between obesity and fracture in postmenopausal women from Santa Maria, Brazil. A cross-sectional study was carried out at Santa Maria (parallel 29° south), Brazil. Postmenopausal women aged ≥55 yr who had at least 1 appointment at the primary care in the 2 years before the study were recruited from March 1, 2013 to August 31, 2013. The Global Longitudinal Study of Osteoporosis in Women study questionnaire was applied with permission of The Center for Outcomes Research, University of Massachusetts Medical School. Height and weight were measured according to the World Health Organization protocol. Bone fractures (excluding hand, feet, and head) that occurred after the age of 45 yr were considered as the outcome. Overall, 1057 women completed the study, of whom 984 had body mass index measured. The mean (standard deviation) age and body mass index of the women included in the study were 67.1 (7.6) yr and 29.2 (5.5) kg/m2, respectively. The prevalence of fractures in obese and nonobese women was similar (17.3% vs 16.0%); 41.4% of all fractures occurred in obese women. Obese postmenopausal women make a substantial contribution to the overall burden of prevalent fractures in this population. Our results provide further evidence in support of the concept that obesity is not protective against fracture.