Objectives Abdominal obesity (AO) has become a public health issue due to its impact on health, society and the economy. The relationship between socioeconomic disparities and the prevalence of AO has yet to be studied in Peru. Thus, our aim was to analyze the socioeconomic inequalities in AO distribution defined using the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) cut-off points in Peruvian adults in 2018–2019. Methods This was a cross-sectional study using data from the 2018–2019 Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES) of Peru. We analyzed a representative sample of 62,138 adults over 18 years of age of both sexes from urban and rural areas. Subjects were grouped into quintiles of the wealth to calculate a concentration curve and the Erreygers Concentration Index (ECI) in order to measure the inequality of AO distribution. Finally, we performed a decomposition analysis to evaluate the major determinants of inequalities. Results The prevalence of AO among Peruvian adults was 73.8%, being higher among women than men (85.1% and 61.1% respectively, p < 0.001). Socioeconomic inequality in AO was more prominent among men (ECI = 0.342, standard error (SE) = 0.0065 vs. ECI = 0.082, SE = 0.0043). The factors that contributed most to inequality in the prevalence of AO for both sexes were having the highest wealth index (men 37.2%, women 45.6%, p < 0.001), a higher education (men 34.4%, women 41.4%, p < 0.001) and living in an urban setting (men 22.0%, women 57.5%, p < 0.001). Conclusions In Peru the wealthy concentrate a greater percentage of AO. The inequality gap is greater among men, although AO is more prevalent among women. The variables that most contributed to inequality were the wealth index, educational level and area of residence. There is a need for effective individual and community interventions to reduce these inequalities.

Estimado editor:Después de leer con satisfacción el artículo “English proficiency level in Colombian undergraduate students of medical programs”,1 publicado por su distinguida revista y con cuyas conclusiones concordamos, quisiéramos profundizar en el tema y resaltar algunos aspectos mencionados en dicho editorial.Como mencionan Alonso et al.,1 ese es el primer estudio en Colombia que evidencia que más del 20% de graduados de las diferentes facultades de medicina poseen un nivel intermedio o alto en inglés. Este porcentaje debe ser mejorado no solo en Colombia, sino también en otros países de Latinoamérica como Perú, ya que, a pesar de que el español es el idioma oficial en la mayoría de países de la región, el dominio del inglés optimizaría el uso de herramientas útiles para el estudiante de medicina en relación con el desarrollo tecnológico y la investigación.2