Stratification of BMI categories among older adults within and across countries

Objective:Within- and across-country nutritional disparities were examined among older adults in six different countries at varying levels of development.Design:Cross-sectional study.Participants:Older adults (aged 50 years or over) in China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa using the Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE).Results:While the distribution of BMI categories varied by country, development-related characteristics were generally related to BMI category in a similar way: urban-living, educated and wealthier individuals were typically more likely to be in a higher BMI category. However, there were some exceptions that corroborate findings in more developed countries. Indeed, a pooled partial proportional odds model which included gross domestic product per capita interactions made the case for intertwining processes of development and the nutrition transition.Conclusions:Population segments to be targeted by nutrition policy and programme implementation might need to change over the course of development.