Social factors and overweight: evidence from nine Asian INDEPTH Network sites
Open Access
- 28 September 2009
- journal article
- Published by Informa UK Limited in Global Health Action
- Vol. 2 (1)
- https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v2i0.1991
Abstract
Background: Overweight/obesity increases the risk of morbidity and mortality from a number of chronic conditions, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers. This study examined the distribution of body mass index (BMI) in nine Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) sites in five Asian countries and investigated the association between social factors and overweight. Data and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in nine HDSS sites in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. The methodology of the WHO STEPwise approach to Surveillance with core risk factors (Step 1) and physical measurements for weight, height and waist circumference (Step 2) were included. In each site, about 2,000 men and women aged 25-64 years were selected randomly using the HDSS database. Weight was measured using electronic scales, height was measured by portable stadiometers and waist circumference was measured by measuring tape. Overweight/obesity was assessed by BMI defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in metres (kg/m2). Results: At least 10% people were overweight (BMI ≥ 25) in each site except for the two sites in Vietnam and WATCH HDSS in Bangladesh where few men and women were overweight. After controlling for all the variables in the model, overweight increases with age initially and then declines, with increasing education, and with gender with women being heavier than men. People who eat vegetables and fruits below the recommended level and those who do high level of physical activity are, on the whole, less heavy than those who eat more and do less physical activity. Conclusions: As the proportion of the population classified as being overweight is likely to increase in most sites and overweight varies by age, sex, and social and behavioural factors, behavioural interventions (physical exercise, healthy diet) should be developed for the whole population together with attention to policy around nutrition and the environment, in order to reduce the adverse effects of overweight on health. Keywords: obesity; overweight; body mass index; risk factor surveillance; WHO STEPS; Asia (Published: 28 September 2009) Citation: Global Health Action Supplement 1, 2009. DOI: 10.3402/gha.v2i0.1991Keywords
This publication has 18 references indexed in Scilit:
- Fruit and vegetable consumption in rural adults population in INDEPTH HDSS sites in AsiaGlobal Health Action, 2009
- Prevalence of physical inactivity in nine rural INDEPTH Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems in five Asian countriesGlobal Health Action, 2009
- Using the INDEPTH HDSS to build capacity for chronic non-communicable disease risk factor surveillance in low and middle-income countriesGlobal Health Action, 2009
- Body-mass index and cause-specific mortality in 900 000 adults: collaborative analyses of 57 prospective studiesThe Lancet, 2009
- Development of the World Health Organization Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ)Journal of Public Health, 2006
- The emerging epidemic of obesity in developing countriesInternational Journal of Epidemiology, 2005
- Which aspects of socioeconomic status are related to obesity among men and women?International Journal of Obesity, 2002
- Marital status, fatness and obesitySocial Science & Medicine, 1992
- Obesity and socioeconomic status: A framework for examining relationships between physical and social variablesMedical Anthropology, 1991
- An Anthropological Perspective on ObesityAnnals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1987