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Global shifts in the patterns of urban and rural weight increase

Nature Medicine volume 25, pages 1035–1036 (2019)Cite this article

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The prevalence of excess weight gain is increasing more rapidly in rural than in urban environments. Increased intake of ultra-processed foods has been associated with obesity, and the rise of supermarkets and marketing strategies may have contributed to the greater weight increases in rural areas.

BMI is a measure of weight with adjustment for height. Because adult heights change slowly, most of the changes in mean BMI over time are likely to be attributable to increases in body weight. The NCD Risk Factor Collaborative collected data from more than 112 million individuals in 190 countries from 1985 to 2017. During that time period, the overall increase in mean BMI was approximately 2.2 BMI units in men and women. The increase in mean BMI among rural and urban women was 2.10 and 1.35 BMI units, respectively, and was 2.09 and 1.59 BMI units among rural and urban men, respectively. The annual change in mean BMI was approximately 0.06 BMI units per year for both rural women and men. Although not reported in this study, the increase in mean BMI was also likely to be associated with an increase in the prevalence of obesity, as previously reported2.

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  1. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

    William H. Dietz

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  1. William H. Dietz
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Correspondence to William H. Dietz.

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Dietz, W.H. Global shifts in the patterns of urban and rural weight increase. Nat Med 25, 1035–1036 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-019-0518-z

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