Determinants of body mass index by gender in the Dikgale Health and Demographic Surveillance System site, South Africa

AbstractWe use a regression discontinuity design to estimate the causal effect of antiretroviral therapy (ART) eligibility according to national treatment guidelines of South Africa on two risk factors for cardiovascular disease, body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure. We combine survey data collected in 2010 in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, with clinical data on ART. We find that early ART eligibility significantly reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure. We do not find any significant effects on BMI. The effect on blood pressure can be detected up to three years after becoming eligible for ART.

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Body mass index, falls, and injurious falls among U.S. adults: Findings from the 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

Preventive Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.08.044 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 91 ◽

pp. 217-223 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Kelly R. Ylitalo ◽

Carrie A. Karvonen-Gutierrez

Keyword(s):

Body Mass Index ◽

Risk Factor ◽

Body Mass ◽

Surveillance System ◽

Behavioral Risk ◽

Behavioral Risk Factor ◽

Injurious Falls ◽

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance ◽

Risk Factor Surveillance

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Childhood Undernutrition and Its Predictors in a Rural Health and Demographic Surveillance System Site in South Africa

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16173021 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (17) ◽

pp. 3021 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Perpetua Modjadji ◽

Sphiwe Madiba

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Short Stature ◽

Surveillance System ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Demographic Surveillance System ◽

World Health ◽

Rural Site ◽

Access To Water ◽

Childhood Undernutrition ◽

Maternal Overweight

Background: Overweight and obesity are increasing at an alarming rate in South Africa, while childhood undernutrition remains persistently high. This study determined the magnitude and predictors of stunting and underweight among schoolchildren in the Dikgale and Health Demographic Surveillance System Site, a rural site in South Africa. Methods: A cross sectional study using multistage sampling was conducted among 508 schoolchildren and their mothers. Anthropometric measurements were taken from children and their mothers, while sociodemographic information was obtained from mothers using a questionnaire. The World Health Organization Anthro Plus was used to generate height-for-age and weight-for-age z-scores to indicate stunting and underweight, respectively, among the children. Maternal overweight and obesity were assessed using body mass index. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the predictors of stunting and underweight among schoolchildren. Results: Twenty-two percent (22%) of children were stunted and 27% were underweight, while 27.4% of the mothers were overweight and 42.3% were obese. The odds of being stunted were lower in younger children, whereas having a mother who was overweight/obese and had a short stature increased the odds of stunting. Access to water, having a refrigerator, and having a young mother were protective against being underweight. Having a mother who was overweight/obese increased the odds of being underweight. Conclusions: The study showed a high prevalence of stunting and underweight among children, and overweight and obesity among mothers, indicating a household double burden of malnutrition. The age of the child and maternal overweight/obesity and short stature were predictors of stunting and underweight, while having a younger mother and access to water and a refrigerator were protective against being underweight. The need for an evidence-based and feasible nutrition program for schoolchildren, especially those in rural schools, cannot be over-emphasized.

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Pensions, consumption and health: evidence from rural South Africa

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-020-09666-6 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Peter Lloyd-Sherlock ◽

Sutapa Agrawal ◽

Francesc Xavier Gómez-Olivé

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Body Mass Index ◽

Older People ◽

Body Mass ◽

Population Based ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Middle Income ◽

Food Scarcity ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Food And Drink

Abstract Background Increasing numbers of older people in sub-Saharan Africa are gaining access to pension benefits and it is often claimed that these benefits promote healthy forms of consumption, which contribute to significant improvements in their health status. However, evidence to support these claims is limited. Methods The paper uses data for 2701 people aged 60 or over who participated in a population-based study in rural north-eastern South Africa. It analyses effects of receiving a pension on reported food scarcity, body mass index and patterns of consumption. Results The paper finds that living in a pension household is associated with a reduced risk of reported food scarcity and with higher levels of consumption of food and drink. The paper does not find that living in a pension household is associated with a higher prevalence of current smoking nor current alcohol consumption. However, the paper still finds that tobacco and alcohol make up over 40% of reported food and drink consumption, and that the correlation between reported food scarcity and body mass index status is imperfect. Conclusions The paper does not show significant associations between pension receipt and the selected risk factors. However, the context of prevalent obesity and high shares of household spending allocated to tobacco and alcohol call into question widely-made claims that pensions enhance healthy consumption among older people in low and middle-income countries.

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