Introduction:

Waist circumference (WC) is an abdominal obesity and cardiovascular risk indicator among adults. In Peru, obesity prevalence has been increasing unequally between residence areas, and the influence of ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption on WC in Peruvian adults remains unclear.

Objective:

Evaluate the association between UPF consumption and waist circumference by residence setting among Peruvian adults.

Materials y methods:

A cross-sectional secondary analysis of dietary intake data (single 24-hour recall) from 745 adults aged 18 and 59 years old from the “Vigilancia Alimentaria y Nutricional por Etapas de Vida 2017-2018” National Surveys was performed. The NOVA system was used to characterize the UPFs, and the exposure was the percentage of total energy consumed from UPF per day (%), divided using quantiles. WC (cm) was assessed at the middle point between the last rib and the iliac crest. Linear regression analysis stratified by residence areas were conducted.

Results:

The mean age was37.2 years. The mean percent of total energy consumed from UPF was 14.7% (95%CI: 14.2 - 15.3). Those in the middle tertile of UPF consumption, had higher WC (β: 0.73; 95%CI: 0.22 - 1.24; p-value = 0.007) compared with those in the lower tertile. In the stratified analysis, those in the second tertile in rural areas have more WC compared with the first tertile (β: 1.85; 95%CI: 1.17 - 2.53, p-value< 0.001).

Conclusions:

In rural areas, UPF consumption was associated with waist circumference, but it does not follow a linear association. Further studies are needed to understand the rationale behind these results.