Global analysis of overweight prevalence by level of human development

Overweight and its associated factors among employees of a university from the state of Santa Catarina

INTRODUCTION

The increasing incidence of overweight worldwide is influenced by several factors of daily life and also affects the working population.

OBJECTIVE

To assess overweight and its association with sociodemographic factors, food consumption, and eating habits in employees of a university.

METHOD

This is a cross-sectional study conducted with employees of a university in southern Santa Catarina. A questionnaire containing demographic, socioeconomic, and nutritional information was used. The exposure variables studied were: sex, age, marital status, schooling, frequency of weekly food consumption, and eating behaviors. Overweight was assessed using body mass index. Crude and adjusted analyses of the association between overweight and independent variables were performed using Poisson's regression.

RESULTS

The prevalence of overweight among the 214 employees was 54.9%. After the adjusted analysis, women had a 34% lower risk of overweight when compared to men (prevalence ratio: 0.66; 95% confidence interval 0.53-0.82). In addition, overweight was directly associated with age (p <0.001), while schooling remained inversely associated with overweight.

CONCLUSIONS

The high prevalence of overweight among workers demonstrates the need to develop interventions and /or programs that promote health in the work environment, especially for groups at higher risk, such as older men and those with lower levels of schooling.

The Relationship Between Obesity, Overweight, and the Human Development Index in World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Region Countries

OBJECTIVES

Obesity is regarded as one of the most prominent health threats worldwide and a serious risk factor for non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes mellitus type 2, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, and some types of cancer. Given the role that societal development-as reflected by the Human Development Index (HDI)-may play in the prevalence of obesity and overweight, this study aimed to investigate the degree to which the prevalence of obesity and overweight is affected by HDI and its components.

METHODS

In this ecological study, the required data on HDI and its components were gathered from the latest report of the United Nations Development Program, and data on obesity and overweight were acquired from the latest reports published on the World Health Organization website. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS version 24.0.

RESULTS

The prevalence of obesity was determined to be significantly higher among females than males, and the gross national index per capita was found to be significantly higher for males than females (p<0.05). Significant positive correlations were found between HDI and its components and sex, as well as indices of obesity and overweight.

CONCLUSIONS

A significant positive correlation exists between HDI and obesity. As policy-makers attempt to improve the general welfare of the people, they should be aware of potential unwanted effects of development on the risk of obesity and overweight among the population.

Magnitude of overweight and associated factors among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients at Mekelle public hospitals, Tigray, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

To assess magnitude of overweight and associated factors among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients at Mekelle public hospitals, Tigray, Ethiopia.

RESULTS

A total of 365 participants were enrolled in this study. One hundred ninety-eight (54.2%) of the participants were males and 288 (78.9%) of the study participants were from an urban residence. In this study 161 (44.1%) and 12 (3.3%) of the study subjects were alcohol consumers and smokers respectively. Besides, 166 (45%) of the study participants had poor dietary intake and around 302 (82.7%) had low level of vigorous physical activity. The proportion of individuals who were overweight using body mass index as a measure was 149 (40.8%) and the proportion of individuals who had central obesity using waist circumference as a measure was 194 (53.2%). The magnitude of overweight among study participants from urban residence and alcohol consumers was 138 (92.6%) and 93 (62.4%) respectively. Residence area, alcohol consumption, physical activities, central obesity and dietary intake were the determinant factors for overweight among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.

Body mass index and movement behaviors among schoolchildren from 13 countries across a continuum of human development indices: A multinational cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

This study describes the distributions of body mass index (BMI) and movement behaviors among schoolchildren from 13 countries across a continuum of human development.

METHODS

Data were from a cross-sectional study of 9-11-year-old children (n = 8055) recruited from 269 urban schools in 13 countries, and an additional 7 rural schools in one of these countries (Mozambique). BMI was derived from objectively measured heights and weights. Moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA), sedentary time (SED), and sleep duration were assessed by waist-worn Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometers. Linear models were used to describe the distributions of BMI z-scores, MVPA, SED, and sleep among sites across varying Human Development Indices (HDIs).

RESULTS

Mean MVPA, SED, and sleep duration were 63.1 ± 27.3 minutes/day, 508.7 ± 72.4 minutes/day, and 8.8 ± 0.9 hours/night, respectively. Overall, 2.1% of the sample were thin, 19.5% overweight, and 11.7% were obese. Density curves (BMI z-scores and SED) for urban children in Mozambique showed significantly higher mean values compared with rural children. Boys had significantly higher mean MVPA compared with girls. Mean BMI z-scores were positively associated (β = .02; P = .004) with HDI, mean daily MVPA minutes were negatively associated (β = -.38; P = .025) with HDI, and mean SED time was positively associated with HDI (β = 1.18; P = .049). No significant association (β = .01; P = .29) was observed between sleep duration and HDI.

CONCLUSION

Our findings show distinct differences in BMI and movement behavior profiles between urban and rural children in Mozambique. Mean BMI z-scores, MVPA, and SED differed by country HDI. These findings support the need to include both rural and urban participants in study samples.

Individual- and state-level factors associated with functional limitation prevalence among Colombian elderly: a multilevel analysis

This study aimed to identify the main regional factors associated with variations in the prevalence of functional limitation on the older adult in Colombia adjusted by individual characteristics. This multilevel study used cross-sectional data from 23,694 adults over 60 years of age in the SABE, Colombia nationwide survey. State-level factors (poverty, development, inequity, violence, health coverage, and access to improved water sources), as well as individual health related, socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, were analyzed. The overall prevalence of functional impairment for the basic activities of daily living (ADL) was 22%. The presence of comorbidities, low educational level, physical inactivity, no participation in social groups, mistreatment and being over 75 years old were associated with functional limitation. At the group level, the analysis showed significant differences in the functional limitation prevalence across states, particularly regarding the socioeconomic status measured according to the Human Development Index (median OR = 1.22; 95%CI: 1.13-1.30; p = 0.011). This study provides evidence on the impact of socioeconomic variation across states on FL prevalence in the Colombian elderly once adjusted for individual characteristics. The findings of this study, through a multilevel approach methodology, provide information to effectively address the conditions that affect the functionality in this population through the identification and prioritization of public health care in groups with economic and health vulnerability.

Socio-demographic determinants of obesity indexes in Iran: findings from a nationwide STEPS survey

Background: Overweight and obesity are considered as non-communicable diseases (NCDs) risk factors with increasing prevalence worldwide. This nationwide study aimed to determine the socio-demographic determinants of obesity indexes in Iran.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted based on data from the sixth round of nationwide Stepwise approach to surveillance (STEPS) survey in the 31 provinces of Iran in 2011. A total of 9878 people aged ≥20 years were selected using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Data were collected through three steps questionnaire including ecological, physical and biochemical measurements. We assessed body mass index (BMI), waist circumference(WC) and waist-hip ratio (WHR) as the main indicators of obesity.

Results: In this study, the weighted prevalence of overweight and obesity were 34.5% (95% CI:33.6, 35.5) and 21.5% (95% CI: 20.7, 22.3), respectively. The mean ± standard deviation (SD)of BMI among men and women were 25.4±4.4 and 26.9±5.2 kg/m² respectively. Older age,living alone, having lower education level, being housewife or retired were associated with overweight and obesity (P<0.05). Urbanization was positively associated with BMI and WC.Being obese or overweight was associated with having a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hypertension (HTN) and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).

Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight in this study was less than global rate while it was vice versa for obesity prevalence. Some socio-demographic characteristics were identified as determinants of obesity which should be considered for planning preventive and control action plans.

Multilevel correlates of household anthropometric typologies in Colombian mothers and their infants

Background

The aim of this study was to establish the association of maternal, family, and contextual correlates of anthropometric typologies at the household level in Colombia using 2005 Demographic Health Survey (DHS/ENDS) data.

Methods

Household-level information from mothers 18-49 years old and their children <5 years old was included. Stunting and overweight were assessed for each child. Mothers were classified according to their body mass index. Four anthropometric typologies at the household level were constructed: normal, underweight, overweight, and dual burden. Four three-level [households (n = 8598) nested within municipalities (n = 226), nested within states (n = 32)] hierarchical polytomous logistic models were developed. Household log-odds of belonging to one of the four anthropometric categories, holding 'normal' as the reference group, were obtained.

Results

This study found that anthropometric typologies were associated with maternal and family characteristics of maternal age, parity, maternal education, and wealth index. Higher municipal living conditions index was associated with a lower likelihood of underweight typology and a higher likelihood of overweight typology. Higher population density was associated with a lower likelihood of overweight typology.

Conclusion

Distal and proximal determinants of the various anthropometric typologies at the household level should be taken into account when framing policies and designing interventions to reduce malnutrition in Colombia.