Obesity, hypertension, social determinants of health and the epidemiologic transition among traditional Amazonian populations

• Published in: Annals of human biology Vol. 43; no. 4; pp. 371 - 381
• Main Authors: Silva, Hilton P., Padez, Cristina, Moura, Edila A. F., Filgueiras, Lígia A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 03-07-2016
• Subjects: Adult; anthropology; Anthropometry; Blood Pressure; Body Mass Index; Brazil - epidemiology; Demography; Ethnic Groups; Female; Geography; health; Humans; Hypertension - epidemiology; Hypertension - physiopathology; Male; nutrition; Obesity - epidemiology; Population Groups - statistics & numerical data; quilombolas; Riverine; Social Determinants of Health - statistics & numerical data; health; anthropology; nutrition; Riverine; quilombolas
• ISSN: 0301-4460; 1464-5033
• DOI: 10.1080/03014460.2016.1197967

Background: The health and nutritional situation of adults from three rural vulnerable Amazonian populations are investigated in relation to the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) and the epidemiologic transition.
Aim: To investigate the role of the environment and the SDH on the occurrence of chronic-degenerative diseases in these groups.
Subjects and methods: Anthropometric, blood pressure and demographic data were collected in adults from the RDS Mamirauá, AM (n = 149), Flona Caxiuanã, PA (n = 148) and quilombolas, PA (n = 351), populations living in a variety of socio-ecological environments in the Brazilian Amazon.
Results: Adjusting for the effect of age, quilombola men are taller (F = 9.85; p < 0.001) and quilombola women present with higher adiposity (F = 20.43; p < 0.001) and are more overweight/obese. Men from Mamirauá present higher adiposity (F = 9.58; p < 0.001). Mamirauá women are taller (F = 5.55; p < 0.01) and have higher values of waist circumference and subscapular/triceps index. Quilombolas present higher prevalence of hypertension in both sexes and there are significant differences in rates of hypertension among the women (χ
2
= 17.45; p < 0.01). The quilombolas are more dependent on government programmes, people from Mamirauá have more economic resources and the group from Caxiunã have the lowest SES.
Conclusion: In these populations, the SDH play a key role in the ontogeny of diseases and the 'diseases of modernity' occur simultaneously with the always present infectoparasitic pathologies, substantially increasing social vulnerability.