Body size dynamics in young adults: 8-year follow up of cohorts in Brazil and Thailand

Abstract

Increase in body size has appeared as an epidemic in Western countries and is now rapidly emerging in low- and middle-income countries, contributing to the rise in non-communicable diseases worldwide. Brazil and Thailand have gone through similar economic and health transitions, and this unique comparative study investigates changes in body size (body mass index) in relation to socioeconomic status in two cohorts of similar age followed from 2004/2005 to 2012/2013. At 20–24 years of age, Pelotas cohort members had a much higher prevalence of overweight and obesity (20.7 and 8.6%) than the Thai cohort (6.0 and 1.7%); these proportions rose to 34.6% and 22.9% vs 15.8% and 5.1%, respectively, in their early 30s. An association between a higher socioeconomic status and increase in overweight and obesity was observed among males; but an inverse pattern was noted for females in both cohorts and remained statistically significant after 8 years of follow up. Our comparative longitudinal analyses highlight the relationship between two middle-income settings facing rapid increases in body size (2–3 fold increase in the rate of overweight and obesity). Long-term follow up and a lifecourse approach for effective prevention of obesity will minimize adverse health burdens in later life.

Low back pain and limitations of daily living in Asia: longitudinal findings in the Thai cohort study

“…Occupation and work hours, available in the 2013 follow-up data, were used in the analyses. The average 2009–2013 values of four other covariates were used as follows: hours of standing and hours of sitting per day; physical activity (combined number of moderate or vigorous sessions per week); and body mass index (based on self-reported weight and height measurements) using recommended Asian cut-offs for overweight and obesity [15–17]. …”

The Transition From Undernutrition to Overnutrition Under Adverse Environments and Poverty: The Risk for Chronic Diseases

“…In this study, socioeconomic status was directly related to the increase in overweight and obesity in males. In women, an inverse pattern was observed for both cohorts throughout the study period (19).…”

“…The increase in the body mass index (BMI) in the population has grown significantly not only in Brazil but in other lowand middle-income countries around the globe, justifying the increase in the incidences of NCD. Yiengprugsawan et al (19) studied the populations of Brazil and Thailand because both went through similar economic transitions with the hypothesis of the existence of a relationship between BMI and socioeconomic status. In this study, socioeconomic status was directly related to the increase in overweight and obesity in males.…”

Socioeconomic Status, Institutional Power, and Body Mass Index among Chinese Adults

“…Rate of drinking is a dummy variable (no drink or once every few weeks = 0, 1-2 times every week = 1, 3-4 times every week = 2, drink every day = 3). Rate of social engagement is a continuous variable (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15) and included three questions. Respondents were asked, "How often did you invite other people to have lunch or dinner in a restaurant in the past three months", "How often were you invited to have lunch or dinner in restaurant in the past three months", "How often did you have lunch or dinner in restaurant with friends in the past three months".…”

“…In contrast, research in developing countries has produced inconsistent findings on the relationship between SES and being overweight or obese. Data from poorer countries show a positive relationship between obesity and SES [8,[12][13][14][15][16][17]. However, in some middle-income countries, there is a negative association between obesity and SES [5,6].…”