Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2012 Jan;70(1):3-21.
doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2011.00456.x.

Global nutrition transition and the pandemic of obesity in developing countries

Barry M Popkin  1 , Linda S Adair, Shu Wen Ng
Affiliations
Review

Global nutrition transition and the pandemic of obesity in developing countries

Barry M Popkin et al. Nutr Rev. 2012 Jan.

Abstract

Decades ago, discussion of an impending global pandemic of obesity was thought of as heresy. But in the 1970s, diets began to shift towards increased reliance upon processed foods, increased away-from-home food intake, and increased use of edible oils and sugar-sweetened beverages. Reductions in physical activity and increases in sedentary behavior began to be seen as well. The negative effects of these changes began to be recognized in the early 1990s, primarily in low- and middle-income populations, but they did not become clearly acknowledged until diabetes, hypertension, and obesity began to dominate the globe. Now, rapid increases in the rates of obesity and overweight are widely documented, from urban and rural areas in the poorest countries of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia to populations in countries with higher income levels. Concurrent rapid shifts in diet and activity are well documented as well. An array of large-scale programmatic and policy measures are being explored in a few countries; however, few countries are engaged in serious efforts to prevent the serious dietary challenges being faced.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

None of the authors has conflict of interests of any type with respect to this manuscript.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Absolute and relative annual percentage point change in weighted prevalence of overweight and obesity (BMI ≥ 25) among women in rural and urban areas of 42 countries by region (N=42)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Popkin B, Drewnowski A. Dietary fats and the nutrition transition: New trends in the global diet. Nutr Rev. 1997;55:31–43. - PubMed
    1. Popkin BM. The nutrition transition in low-income countries: an emerging crisis. Nutr Rev. 1994;52:285–298. - PubMed
    1. Kleiman S, Ng SW, Popkin B. Drinking to our health: Can beverage companies cut calories while maintaining profits? Obes Rev. In Press. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Monteiro CA, Gomes FS, Cannon G. The snack attack. Am J Public Health. 2010;100:975–981. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Monteiro C. The big issue is ultra-processing. Journal of the World Public Health Nutrition Association. 2010

Publication types