Fatness and overweight in women and children from riverine Amerindian communities of the Beni River (Bolivian Amazon)

Abstract

Obesity is a worldwide public health problem impacting not only industrialized nations but also developing countries. The main objective of this paper was to analyze risk factors for overweight among Amerindian children and their mothers. Data were collected in 15 Amerindian riverside communities from the Beni River (Bolivia). The total sample was of 195 mothers and 452 children, 0–15 years of age. Information about family activity and dietary patterns was collected, and a clinical examination was performed. Stool samples were collected in children for parasitological screening. Anthropometric measurements, including weight, height, arm circumference, and four skinfolds, were taken. A bioelectrical impedance analysis was performed in mothers. In total, 12.2% (95% confidence interval (CI95%) 9.1–15.9%) of the children were considered overweight; less than 1% were overtly obese International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria. Among their mothers, 35.3% (CI95%, 28.7–42.5%) were overweight (BMI (weight/height 2) >25 kg/m2), and 5% (CI95%, 2.5–5.1%) were obese (BMI >30 kg/m2). BMI was moderately related to anthropometric indices of body composition in children, but was highly correlated with fatness in mothers. The risk of overweight was not associated with environmental factors in children. In mothers, there was a significant relationship between BMI, health status, and dietary diversity score. There was a moderate association in boys between fatness and the BMI of their mothers (R2 = 0.12, P < 0.001), but not in girls. These findings suggest a trend toward accumulation of fat related to possible changes at the economic and agricultural levels, even in remote rural areas. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 19:61–73, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Nutrition transition in Amazonia: Obesity and socioeconomic change in the Suruí Indians from Brazil

“…All this can in turn have an impact on health and nutrition, with the emergence of lifestyle-related chronic noncommunicable diseases. Recent attention to these issues has also been paid by researchers working elsewhere in indigenous lowland South America (Benefice et al, 2007;Dangour, 2003;Godoy and Cá rdenas, 2000;Godoy et al, 2005a,b,c;Orden and Oyhenart, 2006). The Suruí case study demonstrates an association between socioeconomic stratification and the appearance of nutritional differentials in an Amazonian indigenous society.…”

Dietary diversity score and obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

“…In a study by Savy et al, 32 food items were aggregated into 14 groups by following the FAO guidelines. One study applied seven food groups by modifying the scoring method that was used by Savy et al 31 Furthermore, four studies applied 11, 12, 23 and 24 food groups based on national guidelines and local dietary habits. 27,30,40,44 For almost all of the studies, the maximum score was the total number of food groups.…”

“…Among these, 16 articles were eligible to be included in the systematic review after screening the full text [21][22][23]26,27,[29][30][31][32]36,37,[40][41][42][43][44] (Figure 1). All of the included studies used a cross-sectional study design.…”

“…Although some studies have reported inverse associations between DDS and obesity, 21,22,28 others have failed to show this link 29,30 or found positive associations. 23,27,31 Although higher DDS may be linked to lower body mass index (BMI) due to higher intakes of fiber, vitamin C and calcium, which are inversely associated with obesity, 26 higher DDS may contribute to increased energy consumption and, therefore, higher body fat and BMI. 27 The majority of research on the association between DDS and obesity are cross-sectional or based on data from cohort studies.…”

Dietary Intake of Schoolchildren and Adolescents in Developing Countries

“…A discussion of dietary diversity, meal patterns, adequacy of nutrient intake and their implications for health, growth and development of children and adolescents is included. Emphasis is placed on both the effects of under- and overconsumption of food to reflect the current nutrition transition being experienced in the developing countries with the resultant increasing levels of overweight and obesity in school-age children [8,24,25,26,27,28,29,30] and adolescents [31,32,33,34]. Childhood and adolescence are critical stages offering a window of opportunity for interventions to inculcate healthy eating habits to mitigate the occurrence of diet-related chronic diseases in later life associated with poor eating habits in earlier life.…”