Background:

Chile has one of the highest obesity rates in Latin America. However, the factors that could explain this high prevalence of obesity are unknown.

Aim:

To determine the main risk factors for the development of obesity in Chile.

Material and Methods:

We included 1,398 obese and 1,478 normal weight participants of the National Health Survey 2009-2010. The risk factors considered were socioeconomic variables, diet, physical activity, comorbidities and general wellbeing.

Results:

The main factors associated with a higher risk of being obese were age, high salt consumption and high alcohol intake. Education, income and living in rural settings were protective for women and risk factors for men. The probability of being obese increases in women that sleep less than seven hours per day or have a poor health. Sedentariness and lack of physical activity were risk factors among men.

Conclusions:

The identification of these risk factors may help to implement public health interventions to tackle obesity in Chile.