G.J.M. van den Boom

Body mass index as indicator of standard of living in developing countries

Objective: To assess the suitability of the body mass index (BMI) as an indicator of standard of living in developing countries.Design, setting and subjects: The analysis is based on data collected in the first two rounds of the Ghana Living Standards Survey, held in 1987/88 (GLSS-I) and 1988/89 (GLSS-II). The dataset provides information on a wide range of socio-economic variables, at the individual, the household and the community level, including the height and weight data of approximately 9000 adults in the 20–65u2005y age bracket.Method: Bivariate analysis was used to assess, at the individual level and at the level of population groups, the relationships between adult Body Mass Index and selected household characteristics such as income and expenditure, years of schooling of head of household, access to services, quality of housing, and nutritional status of children. Through multiple regression, indicative estimates have been derived of the effects of these variables on adult BMI. For comparison, the same relationships were investigated for weight and height.Results and conclusion: At the individual level, BMI shows a significantly positive relation with the various socio-economic indicators of living standard, though the correlation coefficients indicate a poor fit. However, at the level of population groups, the relationship between BMI and other characteristics of socio-economic development is strong, with a correlation coefficient of 0.86 between mean BMI and mean per capita expenditures of 12 population groups in Ghana, presumed to be at different levels of standard of living. The relationships between weight and the various socioeconomic characteristics were comparable to those for BMI, while height was poorly correlated with the selected household variables. Results suggest that in low-income countries, information on adult BMI (mean and distribution) can be used for assessing differences in standards of living between population groups or for monitoring changes over time.Sponsorship: The project is co-financed by the Netherlands Ministry of Development Cooperation, within the context of the Réseau SADAOC-Programme (Food Security and Sustainable Development in West-Africa).

Gender and adult undernutrition in developing countries

Background: Information on the prevalence of undernutrition in adults in developing countries is mainly restricted to data on women. Literature reporting on the occurrence of female deprivation in developing countries, in particular in South Asia, suggests that differences between undernutrition prevalence in adult men and adult women might occur, but systematic information on the subject is lacking. Aim: The study compares undernutrition prevalence rates, based on prevalence of low body mass index (BMI < 18.5), in adult men and adult women in developing countries. Regional comparison is made between the main developing regions: Sub-Saharan Africa, South/Southeast Asia and Latin America. Subjects and methods: The study uses data as reported in 75 samples from 31 countries (divided over the three developing regions), in which anthropometric information has been collected in adult men and women within one and the same community. Results: Results indicate that, in general, prevalence rates of undernutrition are rather similar in adult men and women. However, there are regional differences. In communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, prevalence of low BMI is, on average, a few percent higher in men than in women; in South/Southeast Asia the reverse is the case. In some communities differences in undernutrition prevalence between men and women are exceptionally large. Conclusions: It can be concluded that, in general, information on undernutrition prevalence in women can be considered a proxy for undernutrition prevalence in all adults, men and women together. However, the finding that in South/Southeast Asia womens nutritional status relative to mens nutritional status compares unfavourably with results from other developing regions, in particular Sub-Saharan Africa, provides some support for the concept of female deprivation in South/Southeast Asia. Where large differences between prevalence of low BMI in men and women occur, gender-specific policies aimed at reducing undernutrition should be considered.

Nutrition, Labour Productivity and Labour Supply of Men and Women in Ghana

Ghana’s population is expected to increase from 14.1 million in 1990 to 18.7 million in 2000 (Bumb et al., 1994). This growth in population along with growth in per capita income and urbanisation will create increased demand for food. Before the launching of the Economic Reform Programme in 1983 Ghana’s food production had fallen to an abysmally low level in response to the general deterioration in the economy. Output of food and cash crops declined at a rate of 0.3 percent per year between 1970 and 1980. Cereal production, which exceeded domestic demand by some 200,000 tonnes in 1971–73, registered a deficit of over 300,000 tonnes in 1981–83. Production of starchy staples fell from 7.9 million tonnes to 4.1 million tonnes between 1974 and 1981. As a result of declining food output combined with a rising population, per capita food availability in 1981–83 was 30 percent lower than it was in 1975. Efforts made under the Economic Recovery Programme have improved the food supply situation in the country although food production levels still remain low. Output levels of cocoyam and plantain have not reached their average levels in the early 1970’s (Table 9.1).

Income and Expenditure Profiles and Poverty in Ghana

The Ghana government, in 1983, launched a four-year Economic Recovery Programme to redress the economic malaise and foster growth through liberalisation. A second phase of economic reforms, the structural adjustment programme covered the period 1987 to 1989 and sought to tackle the economy’s deep-rooted structural imbalances and to build a productive base for the economy.