Geographic differences in overweight and obesity prevalence in Peruvian children, 2010-2015
J Smith Torres-Roman1, Diego Urrunaga-Pastor2, Jose L Avilez3
1Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Nacional San Luis Gonzaga, Ica, Peru. jstorresroman@gmail.com.
Insights
Childhood overweight and obesity in Peru showed stable or decreasing trends between 2010-2015. Coastal regions had the highest prevalence, indicating a need for targeted obesity prevention strategies in Peruvian children.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a growing global public health concern.
- Limited research exists on childhood overweight and obesity trends in Peru, particularly for children under five.
- Understanding these trends is crucial for developmental stages.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in Peruvian children under five from 2010 to 2015.
- To stratify prevalence by geographical areas within Peru.
- To analyze spatial distribution and identify high-prevalence zones.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from Peru's Nutritional Status Information System (14,155,914 children).
- Employed Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for spatial distribution mapping.
- Applied Moran's I and Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) for spatial dependence analysis.
Main Results:
- National prevalence of childhood overweight ranged from 6.2%-6.8%; obesity from 1.5%-2.7% (2010-2015).
- Highest prevalence occurred in 2014 (overweight) and 2013 (obesity); obesity decreased, overweight stabilized.
- Coastal departments (Lima, Callao, Ica, Moquegua, Tacna) showed highest prevalence; Loreto, Cusco, San Martin had lowest.
Conclusions:
- The decrease in childhood obesity and stable overweight are positive indicators for Peru.
- Despite progress, Peru lags behind other Latin American countries in childhood obesity prevention efforts.
- Targeted interventions are needed for high-prevalence geographical areas.
Background:
Childhood obesity is emerging as a major public health problem worldwide. To date, most studies of obesity and overweight in Peru are focused on adults, with few of them involving children, a population at a critical stage of development. The trend in overweight and obesity prevalence in Peruvian children under the age of five has not yet been determined. Thus, the objective of the present study is to evaluate the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity between 2010 and 2015 in children under the age of five, stratified by geographical areas in Peru.
Methods:
Data were obtained from the Nutritional Status Information System of Peru. The total number of children evaluated was 14,155,914. For the Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the program Geo Da 1.8® was used to ascertain the spatial distribution of prevalence rates and was mapped for children under five. To assess the degree of spatial dependence, exploratory spatial data analysis was performed using the Moran's I statistic and was assessed with the Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) analysis to identify geographic concentrations of high and low of obesity and overweight levels.
Results:
Between 2010 and 2015, the national prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity ranged from 6.2%- 6.8% and 1.5%-2.7%, respectively. The highest prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity was found in 2014 and 2013, respectively. During these years, we observed that obesity decreased, but overweight remained stable. The highest prevalence of overweight and obesity was found in the departments located on the coast. Significant positive spatial autocorrelation was found for both overweight and obesity. The departments with the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity were concentrated in Lima, Callao, Ica, Moquegua and Tacna. The lowest were found in Loreto, Cusco and San Martin.
Conclusion:
The decrease in obesity and the stabilisation of overweight are positive results for the Peruvian childhood. However, in comparison with other Latin American countries, Peru still lags in obesity prevention.
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