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. 2012;7(8):e39589.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0039589. Epub 2012 Aug 13.

High rates of obesity and non-communicable diseases predicted across Latin America

Laura Webber  1 , Fanny Kilpi, Tim Marsh, Ketevan Rtveladze, Martin Brown, Klim McPherson
Affiliations

High rates of obesity and non-communicable diseases predicted across Latin America

Laura Webber et al. PLoS One. 2012.

Abstract

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease and stroke are a major public health concern across Latin America. A key modifiable risk factor for NCDs is overweight and obesity highlighting the need for policy to reduce prevalence rates and ameliorate rising levels of NCDs. A cross-sectional regression analysis was used to project BMI and related disease trends to 2050. We tested the extent to which interventions that decrease body mass index (BMI) have an effect upon the number of incidence cases avoided for each disease. Without intervention obesity trends will continue to rise across much of Latin America. Effective interventions are necessary if rates of obesity and related diseases are to be reduced.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The study was funded by a commercial source - GlaxoSmithKline. However, this does not alter the authors' adherence to all the PLoS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Past and projected prevalence of obesity in Latin American males (BMI ≥25 kg/m2) based on module 1, scenario 0.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Past and projected prevalence of obesity in Latin American females (BMI ≥25 kg/m2) based on module 1, scenario 0.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Cumulative incidence cases avoided of cancer, CHD+stroke and diabetes per 100,000 population across Latin America by 2030.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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