Impact of premature mortality attributable to obesity on years of life lost in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE

To quantify the societal burden of obesity in Brazil by estimating years of life lost (YLL) due to premature mortality.

SUBJECTS AND

METHODS

Given the Brazilian life expectancy of 76.4 years, premature death was defined as occurring before the age of 60. A quantitative epidemiological approach was applied to estimate obesity-attributable YLL in Brazil from 2014 to 2023. Mortality data were obtained from the Mortality Information System, and demographic projections were sourced from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. The YLL was calculated by multiplying the number of deaths by the remaining life expectancy (using 2021 Global Burden of Disease reference tables), stratified by age and sex. Statistical analyses were conducted using R software and Python, with results presented as rates per 100,000 population.

RESULTS

The total number of events exhibited an upward trend over the decade, with a pronounced peak after 2020, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. The 50-59 and 60-69-year age groups consistently demonstrated the highest event frequencies. Sex-specific analyses revealed variations across age groups and years. Events were rare among those aged 1-14 but increased from age 15-19 onwards. Among older age groups (40-69 years), females exhibited higher rates than males, particularly in the 60-69-age bracket.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates an increasing trend in obesity-related premature mortality in Brazil, disproportionately affecting older populations and necessitating targeted public health interventions.