Dominicans getting fatter
The urbanization of rural life is resulting in greater obesity worldwide. A recent study by the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC) reported in Nature magazine indicates that body-mass index (BMI), which is based on height and weight, has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities. This challenges the long-held assumption that the global obesity epidemic is mainly an urban problem. The study reveals that obesity worldwide is increasing more quickly in rural areas than in cities, including those in the Dominican Republic.
Data covering 200 countries and territories compiled by more than 1,000 researchers showed an average gain of roughly five to six kilos per woman and man living in the countryside from 1985 to 2017.
Interestingly, according to the findings, published in Nature, women and men living in cities, however, put on 38 and 24% less, respectively, than their rural counterparts over the same period.
At the country level, the Nature publication points to several findings that stand out. It reports that some of the largest BMI increases from 1985 to 2017 among men were in China, the United States, Bahrain, Peru and the Dominican Republic, adding an average of 8-9 kilos per adult.
The NDC Risk Factor Collaboration challenges countries around the world to create programs and policies that are rurally focused to prevent weight gain.
Source: DR1, ThedailyStar
May 14, 2019
Category: DR News |