Prevalence of stunting and obesity in Ecuador: a systematic review

Abstract

Objective: In low- and middle-income countries, undernutrition remains a major risk factor for child growth retardation. In addition, the emergence of obesity in recent years is adding another public health concern in that both stunting and obesity are associated with serious adverse health consequences. This review was designed to evaluate the prevalence of stunting and obesity in Ecuador. Design: Electronic databases were searched for articles published through February 2018 reporting the prevalence of stunting and/or obesity. Selected data were subjected to meta-analysis and pooled prevalence and their 95 percentiles (95 % CI) were calculated. Setting: Studies were identified in Medline, Web of Science, CINAHL, Cochrane Database and Ibero-America databases. Participants: Population of Ecuador. Results: Twenty-three articles were selected according to the inclusion/exclusion criteria of the study. The estimate of pooled prevalence of stunting was 23·2 % (95 % CI 23·3, 23·5) in preschoolers (age < 5 years), but was markedly higher in indigenous and rural communities. Pooled prevalence of obesity was 8·1 % (95 % CI 6·9, 9·3), 10·7 % (95 % CI 9·6, 11·7) and 10·5 % (95 % CI 9·2, 11·8) in preschoolers, school-age children (age: 5–11 years) and adolescent (age: 12–18 years), respectively. In adults (age ≥ 19 years), the rate of obesity was remarkably high as indicated by an overall estimate equal to 44·2 % (95 % CI 43·1, 45·4). Conclusions: This study underlines high levels of stunting among children and obesity among adults in Ecuador, both of which are not equally distributed among the population. The magnitude of this double burden emphasises the need for sustained and targeted interventions.

Impact of Home Parenting Environment on Cognitive and Psychomotor Development in Children Under 5 Years Old: A Meta-Analysis

“…According to the 2020 Global Nutrition Report on malnutrition, nearly one in every four children under 5 years old (149 million) is stunted (3). In 2021, the prevalence rates of stunting in children under 5 years old in Ecuador, Nigeria, and Ethiopia were, respectively, 23.2, 36.2, and 39% (4)(5)(6). In China, 17.07% of children of 3-5 years old had a high risk of early development deficiency in 2021 (7).…”

Socioeconomic and Demographic Factors Associated with the Influence of the Food Traffic Light Labeling on the Decision of the Adult Population of Ecuador to Purchase Processed Foods, 2018

“…Latin America is no stranger to this problem, since between 2000 and 2016 the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults increased from 49.6% to 59.5% and from 15.2% to 24.7%, respectively [ 2 ]. The figures for Ecuador are similar, with 65% of its population being overweight and between 23.4% and 45.0% of people being obese, according to different estimates [ 3 , 4 ]. This increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the population increases the risk of developing chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiometabolic diseases [ 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

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“…Obesity represents a major public health challenge, in the past few decades the prevalence of obesity has increased worldwide and associated with serious adverse health outcomes [1,2]. According to the statistics of World Health Organization, in 2016, an estimated 1.9 billion adults (18 years and older) were overweight, of these more than 650 million were obese.…”