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Meta-Analysis
. 2020 Aug 6;10(8):e039200.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-039200.

Prevalence of overweight/obesity among the adult population in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Ayelign Mengesha Kassie  1 , Biruk Beletew Abate  2 , Mesfin Wudu Kassaw  2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Prevalence of overweight/obesity among the adult population in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Ayelign Mengesha Kassie et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Background: Overweight and obesity are emerging public health problems in Ethiopia. However, primary study findings on the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Ethiopia are inconsistent. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of overweight and obesity among adults in Ethiopia.

Methods: Studies that looked at overweight and obesity among adults were searched from four international databases. The search involved articles published from 1 January 2010 to 10 March 2020. The Cochran's Q χ2 and the I2 test statistics were used to check heterogeneity among the studies. The funnel plot and Egger's regression tests were also used to assess the presence of publication bias. Subgroup analysis was performed by residence, study setting, sample size and year of study. Sensitivity analysis was also done to assess the effect of a single study on the pooled estimates. Data analysis was done using STATA V.14 software program.

Results: A total of 16 studies with 19 527 study participants were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The estimated pooled prevalence of overweight among adults in Ethiopia was 20.4%, and after adjustment for publication bias with the trim-and-fill analysis, the estimated prevalence rate was changed to 19%. Besides, the estimated pooled prevalence of obesity was 5.4%. The prevalence of overweight was higher, 22.6% in studies published since 2015, 22.4% in studies conducted only in urban settings and 24.4% in studies with small sample size (≤384 participants). Similarly, the prevalence of obesity was 6.9% in studies published since 2015, 6.2% in studies conducted only in urban settings, 6.4% in institution-based settings and 9.6% in studies with small sample size.

Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight and obesity is high in Ethiopia compared with previous studies. This needs large scale awareness creation campaigns and situation-based and context-specific prevention strategies.

Keywords: nutrition & dietetics; nutritional support; public health.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow chart of study selection for the prevalence of overweight and obesity among adults in Ethiopia. PRISMA, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot for the prevalence of overweight among adults in Ethiopia. ES, effect size.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot for the prevalence of obesity among adults in Ethiopia. ES, effect size.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Result of sensitivity analysis of the 14 studies in the meta-analysis of overweight.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Result of sensitivity analysis of the 16 studies in the meta-analysis of obesity.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Distribution of studies included in overweight analysis in the funnel graph.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Distribution of studies included in obesity analysis in the funnel graph.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Egger’s test for detection of publication bias for studies included in overweight.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Egger’s test for detection of publication bias for studies included in obesity.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Trim-and-fill analysis for the prevalence of overweight among adults in Ethiopia.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Trim-and-fill analysis for the prevalence of obesity among adults in Ethiopia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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