title: Adult obesity: panel study from native Amazonians.
abstract: This paper examines three morphological indicators measuring obesity among a native Amazonian population of foragers-farmers in Bolivia (Tsimane') and estimates the associations between them and standard covariates of obesity (e.g., socioeconomic status [SES]). We collected annual data from 350 non-pregnant women and 385 men ≥20 years of age from all 311 households in 13 villages during five consecutive years (2002-2006). We used three indicators to measure obesity: body-mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and body fat using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BF-BIA). We ran separate individual random-effect panel multiple regressions for women and men with wealth, acculturation, health, and household food availability as key covariates, and controlled for village and year fixed effects and village×year interaction effects. Although BMI increases by a statistically significant annual growth rate of 0.64% among women and 0.37% among men over the five years, the increase does not yield significant biological meanings. Neither do we find consistent and biologically meaningful covariates associated with adult obesity.
authors.affiliation: Heller School, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA. wuzengcn@brandeis.edu
authors.forename: Wu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Dan T A
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Eisenberg
authors.forename: Karla Rubio
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Jovel
authors.forename: Eduardo A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Undurraga
authors.forename: Colleen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nyberg
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanner
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Reyes-García
authors.forename: William R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Leonard
authors.forename: Juliana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Castaño
authors.forename: Tomás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Huanca
authors.forename: Thomas W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: McDade
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Godoy
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001838:Bolivia / Q000208:ethnology; D057217:Economic Development / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007199:Indians, South American; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult