Related Experiment Videos
Overweight exceeds underweight among women in most developing countries
Michelle A Mendez1, Carlos A Monteiro, Barry M Popkin
1Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27516-3997, USA.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
|March 10, 2005
Summary
Overweight now exceeds underweight in most developing countries, affecting women in both urban and rural areas, particularly those with higher socioeconomic status. This trend is more pronounced in nations with greater economic development and urbanization.
Area of Science:
- Global Health
- Nutritional Epidemiology
- Socioeconomic Determinants of Health
Background:
- Overweight is often perceived as less prevalent than undernutrition in developing regions, primarily affecting higher socioeconomic status (SES) groups.
- Rural areas are typically associated with lower rates of overweight compared to urban settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence patterns of adult female overweight and underweight across developing countries.
- To analyze these patterns based on urban or rural residence and socioeconomic status (SES) strata.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Body Mass Index (BMI) data from nationally representative cross-sectional surveys of women aged 20-49 in 36 countries (1992-2000).
- Classified nutritional status as underweight (BMI < 18.5) and overweight (BMI ≥ 25).
- Examined associations between nutritional status, urban/rural location, per capita Gross National Income (GNI), and urbanization levels, stratified by SES.
Main Results:
- Overweight surpassed underweight in over half of the surveyed countries, with higher ratios in urban (5.8:1) than rural (2.1:1) areas.
- Countries with higher GNI and urbanization exhibited high overweight prevalence, small urban-rural differences, and elevated overweight-to-underweight ratios.
- Significant overweight prevalence was observed among low-SES women in both rural (38%) and urban (51%) settings in more-developed countries, and even in poorer nations where underweight remains a concern.
Conclusions:
- Overweight prevalence now exceeds underweight in young women across most developing economies, particularly in nations with higher socioeconomic development.
- The study highlights the need for further research into overweight trends among males and children to understand broader public health dynamics.