title: Prevalence and determinants of adult under-nutrition in Botswana.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To estimate the prevalence and determinants of adult under-nutrition in Botswana.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey was conducted where a nationally representative sample of people aged 20 to 49 years was used for the analysis. The outcome measure of under-nutrition was measured as BMI<18.5 kg/m2.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the total sample, 19.5% of males and 10.1% of females were underweight (BMI<18.5 kg/m2). The wealth index showed that 30.9% of the adult population with low a BMI belongs to the poorest 20% of the households while only 9.6% comprised of the richest 20% of the households. Results from logistic regression analysis indicated that both adult men and women who had no education and belonged to the low socioeconomic group had a statistically significant association with low BMI. Among the female adult population, being young and not having watched TV at least once a week were significantly associated with low BMI. For the male adult population, being unmarried was significantly associated with low BMI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Programme interventions aimed at improving the nutritional status of adults can use these findings to make appropriate policy, to establish baselines and study nutritional changes over time and its covariates.
authors: Department of Population Studies, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana.
authors: Gobopamang
authors: G
authors: Letamo
authors: Department of Population Studies, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana.
authors: Kannan
authors: K
authors: Navaneetham
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001902:Botswana / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017533:Marital Status / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010298:Parity; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013851:Thinness / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult