The relationship between stunting and overweight among XXXX from South Africa: Secondary analysis of the National Food Consumption Survey - Fortification Baseline I.

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Background. Globally, in ch @entity1 he prevalence of overweight and ob @entity28 s increasing, and this is associated with an increased risk of non-communicable diseases in adulthood. There is a need to examine the growing trends of overweight and ob @entity28 n ch @entity1 nd their consequences in low- and middle-income countries. OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence of, and determine the relationship between, stunting and overweight among ch @entity1 n two provinces of South Africa. METHODS: Secondary data analysis was conducted on anthropometric measurements of 36 - 119-month-old ch @entity1 rom Gauteng and Mpumalanga provinces (N=519) participating in the South African National Food Consumption Survey - Fortification Baseline I (2005). The International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) body mass index (BMI) reference percentiles were used to determine overweight and ob @entity28 The World Health Organization standards were used to derive z-scores. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight was 12.0% (IOTF BMI >= 25 kg/m2), including 3.7% ob @entity28 IOTF BMI >= 30 kg/m2). The predominantly urban Gauteng Province had a significantly higher prevalence of overweight ch @entity1 14.1%) compared with Mpumalanga (6.3%) (p=0.0277). The prevalence of stunting was 17.0% (16.5% Gauteng, 18.2% Mpumalanga; p>0.05). There was a significant correlation (r=-0.32) between BMI and height-for-age z-scores (p<0.0001). In the ob @entity28 roup, 68.4% were stunted, while in the normal and underweight group only 13.6% were stunted. CONCLUSIONS: Stunted ch @entity1 ere more likely to be ob @entity28 Further research is necessary for clarity on the physiological mechanisms of this relationship. In the interim, prevention of stunting requires priority.
