Unusually high prevalence rates of obesity in four Mexican rural communities

To establish the nutritional status of previously studied rural populations. A total of 139 households with 245 males and 301 females from four relatively isolated Mexican rural communities were randomly selected to be surveyed in 1996. Underweight was not a problem in either children or adults. In children 50 y by 2.0 units; the male data were essentially unchanged. The prevalence of abdominal obesity in women, based on waist measurements and WHO cut-off points was high with 25% of women having elevated values despite a normal BMI; 43% of the overweight women had substantial increases in waist measurements, indicative of high risk, as did 91% of obese women. The men's waist measurements were greater in relation to both BMI and body fat but the prevalence of values in excess of the suggested sex-specific WHO limits was less than half that of women. The high prevalence of overweight and obesity is now evident in poor and relatively isolated rural communities of Mexico. The Chronic Disease Office, from the Ministry of Health in Mexico partially financed this study.