Urban Disadvantage, Obesity, and Underweight in 31 Lower-Income Countries.
Although some studies have shown that obesity and other non-communicable diseases are more common in more disadvantaged areas, no publications to date have examined the interaction of obesity with urban and rural disadvantage in lower-income countries. This study analyzed the rates of obesity and underweight in disadvantaged urban women and disadvantaged rural women in 31 lower-income countries, and calculated the age-adjusted odds ratios of urban vs. rural obesity and underweight. The odds of obesity were significantly (p<0.05) higher for urban populations in 16 of the 31 countries and in all aggregated regions; the evidence that underweight is also associated more with urban populations was mixed. Because obesity is a rapidly-growing threat to the public health and financial strength of lower-income countries, and urban disadvantage is associated with more obesity than rural disadvantage, policymakers should work to understand, predict, and prevent obesity in urban populations specifically.
['Sheets|Lincoln R|LR|', 'Woldu|Henok G|HG|', 'Swart|Rina|R|', 'Simoes|Eduardo|E|']
D015992:Body Mass Index D005260:Female D006801:Humans D007182:Income D009765:Obesity D015995:Prevalence D012424:Rural Population D013851:Thinness D014505:Urban Population
Geographic Factors Healthcare Disparities Obesity Epidemiology