The weight of work: the association between maternal employment and overweight in low- and middle-income countries

Oddo, Vanessa M.; Bleich, Sara N.; Pollack, Keshia M.; Surkan, Pamela J.; Mueller, Noel T.; Jones-Smith, Jessica C.

doi:10.1186/s12966-017-0522-y

Cited by 20 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Consistent with previously published studies [60][61][62], the current study found that urban Ethiopian women who were employed in manual jobs had a lower risk of being overweight/obese compared to those who were not in employment. There are two likely explanations for the observed relationship between informal employment and overweight/obesity.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Trends and determinants of underweight and overweight/obesity among urban Ethiopian women from 2000 to 2016

et al. 2020

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Background: Nutritional, epidemiological and demographic transitions have been associated with the emergence of the double burden of malnutrition globally. In Ethiopia, there has been no nationally representative investigation of trends and determinants of both underweight and overweight/obesity among urban women. This study examined the trends and determinants of underweight and overweight/obesity in urban Ethiopian women from 2000 to 2016. Methods: Trends in the prevalence of underweight and overweight/obesity were investigated based on a series of the Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) data for the years 2000 (n = 2559), 2005 (n = 1112), 2011 (n = 3569), and 2016 (n = 3106). Multivariable multinomial logistic regression was used to investigate the association between socioeconomic, demographic, behavioural, and community-level factors with underweight and overweight/obesity. Results: The prevalence of underweight in urban Ethiopian women reduced significantly from 23.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 20.3, 26.3%) in 2000 to 14.8% (95% CI: 13.1, 16.7%) in 2016, while overweight/obesity increased significantly from 10.9% (95% CI: 9.1, 13.0%) in 2000 to 21.4% (95% CI: 18.2, 25.1%) in 2016. Urban women from rich households and those who had never married were less likely to be underweight. Urban women who were from wealthy households and those who attained at least secondary education were more likely to be overweight/obese. Women who were informally employed and listened to the radio were less likely to be overweight/obese compared to those who were unemployed and did not listen to the radio, respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight/obesity increased from 2000 to 2016, with a concurrent reduction in the prevalence of underweight. Interventions aiming to reduce overweight and obesity should target urban women with higher education, those who resided in wealthier households and those who watched the television.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Trends and determinants of underweight and overweight/obesity among urban Ethiopian women from 2000 to 2016

et al. 2020

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“…Currently, about 50% of Indonesia’s labour force is employed in the service sector, compared with 30% in agriculture and 20% in industry 14. Similar to prior literature, employment was associated with overweight in this sample 41 42. We found that skilled occupations were associated with higher odds of overweight, whereas agriculture-based employment was associated with lower odds of overweight.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Overweight in Indonesia: an observational study of trends and risk factors among adults and children

2019

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ObjectiveTo conduct a secondary data analysis detailing overweight prevalence and associations between key hypothesised determinants and overweight.DesignThis observational study used publicly available data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) (1993–2014). The IFLS is a home-based survey of adults and children that collected data on household characteristics (size, physical infrastructure, assets, food expenditures), as well as on individual-level educational attainment, occupation type, smoking status and marital status. These analyses used data on the self-reported consumption of ultra-processed foods and physical activity. Anthropometrics were measured.SettingIndonesia.Primary outcome measuresWe described the distribution of overweight by gender among adults (body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m2) and by age among children, over time. Overweight was defined as weight-for-height z-score >2 among children aged 0–5 years and as BMI-for-age z-score >1 among children aged 6–18 years. We also described individuals who were overweight by selected characteristics over time. Finally, we employed multivariable logistic regression models to investigate risk factors in relation to overweight in 2014.ResultsOne-third of adults were overweight in 2014. Between 1993 and 2014, the prevalence of overweight among adults doubled from 17.1% to 33.0%. The prevalence of overweight among children under 5 years increased from 4.2% to 9.4% between 1993 and 2007, but then remained relatively stagnant between 2007 and 2014. Among children aged 6–12 years and 13–18 years, the prevalence of overweight increased from 5.1% to 15.6% and from 7.1% to 14.1% between 1993 and 2014, respectively. Although overweight prevalence remains higher in urban areas, the increase in overweight prevalence was larger among rural (vs urban) residents, and by 2014, the proportions of overweight adults were evenly distributed in each wealth quintile. Data suggest that the consumption of ultra-processed foods was common and levels of physical activity have decreased over the last decade. In multivariable models, urban area residence, higher wealth, higher education and consumption of ultra-processed foods were associated with higher odds of overweight among most adults and children.ConclusionUrgent programme and policy action is needed to reduce and prevent overweight among all ages.

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“…35 Greater participation of women in informal and formal employment sectors outside the home has created larger incomes for women as well as rising demand for convenience foods, which have led to mixed nutritional outcomes in different countries. [130][131][132] Investing in women's health and education and in family planning may provide more long-term opportunity for achieving global adoption of healthy and sustainable diets in line with the SDGs than reforms directed at agriculture, food processing, and food retail or service subsectors. 133 For example, a statistical analysis of historical national successes in reducing malnutrition and improving diets indicated that the most significant factor has been so far women's education, even more important than household income.…”

Section: Wider Changes Including Women's Empowermentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changing diets and the transformation of the global food system

Vermeulen

Park

Khoury

et al. 2020

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

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An aspirational global food system is one that delivers across a suite of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including universal access to healthy diets, which can also codeliver on climate and environment SDGs. The literature has downplayed the relative contribution of dietary change to sustainable food systems. In this perspective article, we argue that the potential for positive transformational change in diets should not be underestimated, for two sets of reasons. First, the dynamism of diets over long-term and, especially, recent history shows the potential for rapid and widespread change, including toward more diverse and healthier diets. Second, contemporary behavioral research demonstrates promising tactics to influence consumers' dietary choices. Since the entire food system creates the circumstances of those choices, the most effective strategies to shift diets will involve multiple approaches that deliberately aim not just to influence consumers themselves but also to incentivize all actors in the food systems, taking into account multiple agendas and values. The effectiveness of actions will depend on the political economy at local, national, and global levels. Overall, there are reasons to be hopeful about the potential for accelerated global dietary change, given both historic trends and the growing suite of tools and approaches available.

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The weight of work: the association between maternal employment and overweight in low- and middle-income countries

Cited by 20 publications

References 45 publications

Trends and determinants of underweight and overweight/obesity among urban Ethiopian women from 2000 to 2016

Trends and determinants of underweight and overweight/obesity among urban Ethiopian women from 2000 to 2016

Overweight in Indonesia: an observational study of trends and risk factors among adults and children

Changing diets and the transformation of the global food system

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