Body Composition Trend in Slovene Adults: A Two-Year Follow-Up

Abstract

This research re-evaluates the prevalence of obesity in a cohort of 432 Slovenian adults two years after an initial population-based cross-sectional examination, utilizing the World Health Organization’s body mass index (BMI) and total body fat percentage (FAT%) classifications. Herein, a medically approved electrical bioimpedance monitor was used to analyse body composition, and the results revealed a significant increase in the percentage of individuals classified as having overweight or obesity on the basis of BMI, from 40.7% initially to 45.2% at follow-up (FU); however, these percentages were notably higher in males than in females. The increases in body mass, BMI, fat mass, and FAT% were observed mainly in adult females, whereas in adult males, the increases in BM and BMI were attributed to fat-free mass (FFM) rather than fat mass. In this study, BMI was also compared with the FAT% obesity classification, and the BMI classification was shown to result in significantly fewer participants with obesity in both measures. However, the proportion of participants with obesity based on the two classifications did not differ substantially between the initial and FU measurements. In this study, mixed linear models were used to analyse overall trends and subgroup variations and highlight the importance of considering sex, age, and time of measurement when assessing body composition metrics. These findings emphasize the need for personalized health assessments and the importance of measuring body composition to evaluate adult obesity more accurately for both clinical assessments and public health policies. The state, in collaboration with social initiatives and industrial stakeholders, should prioritize these data and advance public health through innovative educational and awareness initiatives that are founded on robust scientific principles and that empower and promote the adoption of a healthy, active lifestyle.