Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health

Volume 10, Issue 1, March 2020, Pages 16 - 27

Double Burden of Malnutrition in the Asia-Pacific Region—A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Authors
Wen Peng1, Yuhan Mu1, Yang Hu1, Bin Li1, Jayanthi Raman2, Zhixian Sui3, 4, *
1Department of Public Health, Medical School, Qinghai University, Qinghai, China
2Clinical Psychology, Australian College of Applied Psychology, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
3School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia
4The BMI Clinic, Double Bay, NSW 2028, Australia
*Corresponding author. Email: zhixian.sui@health.nsw.gov.au
Corresponding Author
Zhixian Sui
Received 7 May 2019, Accepted 27 October 2019, Available Online 4 December 2019.
DOI
10.2991/jegh.k.191117.002How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Double burden; Asia-Pacific; malnutrition; undernutrition; overnutrition
Abstract

Background: Double Burden of Malnutrition (DBM)—the coexistence of undernutrition along with overnutrition—is a significant public health issue in the Asia-Pacific region. The scope of the DBM in this region is largely unknown. This review aims to determine the prevalence of under- and overnutrition as major DBM components and to investigate whether there has been a shift from under- to overnutrition in the Asia-Pacific region.

Methods: Online databases including PubMed and Web of Science were searched for original studies on DBM prevalence in the Asia-Pacific region; particularly, those published from January 2008 to December 2018 were screened for eligibility. We collected data on indicators of under- and overnutrition on the population level and adapted the ratio of prevalence of overweight/obesity versus prevalence of underweight as the main outcome indicator. Pooled prevalence estimates of DBM and the ratio of overnutrition versus undernutrition were generated using R (3.4.0).

Results: In total, 33 studies were included in this review. Pooled analysis demonstrated that DBM was generally presented among countries/areas in the Asia-Pacific region except in high-income countries (HICs). Overall, the prevalence of undernutrition was 8.8% (95% CI 7.3–10.6%) while overnutrition among the same population reached 23.0% (95% CI 20.3–26.0%). Countries in the Oceania region or HICs reported low level of undernutrition (less than 3%). All subgroup analysis (geolocation, income level, sex, age) reported pooled prevalence of overweight/obesity as more than 18%. Overall, the whole region and all subgroups were more likely to experience a higher prevalence of overnutrition than undernutrition, except that low- and lower-middle-income countries (L-MICs) had similar prevalence for over- and undernutrition.

Conclusion: DBM in the Asia-Pacific region is alarmingly high and is titled toward overnutrition. As a result, future interventions/policy targeting to maintain a healthy weight for the population should not just focus on prevention and treatment toward one direction.

Copyright
© 2019 Atlantis Press International B.V.
Open Access
This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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Journal
Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health
Volume-Issue
10 - 1
Pages
16 - 27
Publication Date
2019/12/04
ISSN (Online)
2210-6014
ISSN (Print)
2210-6006
DOI
10.2991/jegh.k.191117.002How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2019 Atlantis Press International B.V.
Open Access
This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

Cite this article

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Wen Peng
AU  - Yuhan Mu
AU  - Yang Hu
AU  - Bin Li
AU  - Jayanthi Raman
AU  - Zhixian Sui
PY  - 2019
DA  - 2019/12/04
TI  - Double Burden of Malnutrition in the Asia-Pacific Region—A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
JO  - Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health
SP  - 16
EP  - 27
VL  - 10
IS  - 1
SN  - 2210-6014
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/jegh.k.191117.002
DO  - 10.2991/jegh.k.191117.002
ID  - Peng2019
ER  -