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Epidemiology

Differences in magnitude and rates of change in BMI distributions by socioeconomic and geographic factors in Mexico, Colombia, and Peru, 2005–2010

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 74, pages 472–480 (2020)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives

Previous studies about obesity and its associated factors in low- and middle-income countries have been based mostly on women of reproductive age. Furthermore, disproportionally changing BMI distributions have been a challenge for its appropriate modeling. In this context, we assessed the magnitude and rate of change in BMI distribution by socioeconomic and geographic factors in both sexes in Latin American countries, modeling the shape of BMI distributions.

Subjects/Methods

We used data from national surveys conducted in Mexico, Colombia, and Peru at two time points between 2005 and 2013 (N = 57,414, 13,5403, and 30,811, respectively). We estimated shapes of BMI distributions for 2005 and 2010, and assessed their changes, using the generalized additive model for location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS), in which BMI was assumed to follow a Box-Cox Power Exponential (BCPE) distribution.

Results

In all the three countries, higher education was negatively associated with BMI in women but somewhat positive in men; and household wealth was positively associated in men but not in women. Lower household wealth was associated with higher rates of change in BMI distributions in women.

Conclusion

Education and household wealth were associated with BMI distributions and their change over time. Observed sex differences in these associations have implications for designing relevant policies and programs to approach target populations effectively. The BCPE-GAMLSS method can provide a useful visual assessment of time-varying measures.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr. Teresa Shamah-Levy and her colleagues at National Institute of Public Health, Mexico, and Dr. Jaime Miranda and Dr. Rodrigo Carrillo-Larco at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, for providing us information about survey methods used in conducting national health and nutritional surveys. We also thank Mr. Mark Miller at Joint High Performance Computing Exchange (JHPCE) Cluster, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, for facilitating and troubleshooting the use of the cluster computer system.

Funding

This research received any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA

    Goro Yamada, Jessica C. Jones-Smith & Lawrence H. Moulton

  2. Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA

    Goro Yamada & Carlos Castillo-Salgado

  3. Department of Health Services & Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington School of Public Health, 1959 Northeast Pacific Street, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA

    Jessica C. Jones-Smith

Authors
  1. Goro Yamada
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  4. Lawrence H. Moulton
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Contributions

GY formulated the research question, designed the study, carried out data analysis, and prepared the first draft. JCJS and CCS provided intellectual guidance and inputs in formulating the research question, designing the study, interpreting results, and writing the manuscript. LHM supervised the entire procedure and provided intellectual inputs at each step of this study.

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Correspondence to Goro Yamada.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

This study was reviewed by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Institutional Review Board and considered as secondary analyses of existing, de-identified and de-linked databases.

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Yamada, G., Jones-Smith, J.C., Castillo-Salgado, C. et al. Differences in magnitude and rates of change in BMI distributions by socioeconomic and geographic factors in Mexico, Colombia, and Peru, 2005–2010. Eur J Clin Nutr 74, 472–480 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-019-0479-9

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