Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Jamaica From 2000 to 2016

Cureus. 2023 Feb 13;15(2):e34907. doi: 10.7759/cureus.34907. eCollection 2023 Feb.

Abstract

The prevalence of overweight and obesity in Jamaica has been steadily increasing over the past decade and is now a significant health issue. This paper focuses on the trends in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Jamaica from 2000 to 2016. Overweight and obesity prevalence in adults increased from 43.8% in 2000 to 55.5% in 2016, from 34.2% in 2000 to 47.4% in 2016in adult males, and from 53.0% in 2000 to 63.6% in 2016 in adult females. In children/adolescents aged 10 to 19 years, the prevalence of obesity has doubled between 2000 and 2016. The data shows that the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children/adolescents increased from 5% in 2000 to 11.4% in 2016, from 4.4% in 2000 to 11.0% in 2016 in boys, and from 5.5% in 2000 to 11.9% in 2016 in girls.

Keywords: caribbean; jamaica; obesity; overweight; trends.