IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ags/unadrs/337031.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

IFAD RESEARCH SERIES 91: Addressing overweight and obesity in LMICs in the realm of rural development and food systems

Author

Listed:
  • Herens, Marion
  • ten Hove, Hermine
  • Bakker, Sanne
  • Njoro, Joyce
  • Bianchi, Ilaria
  • Gemessa, Sinafikeh
  • Mendiratta, Vibhuti

Abstract

Overweight and obesity rates across low- and middle-income countries have approached levels found in high-income countries. While overweight and obesity are more prevalent in urban areas, they are also on the rise in rural areas. Little research has been conducted on the effects of food systems on overweight and obesity. This paper presents the findings of a comprehensive literature review of the evidence on the main drivers of overweight and obesity, described using a food systems framework and illustrated with concrete examples from five countries. Available evidence on intervention strategies with the potential to prevent and/or reduce overweight and obesity was also reviewed and compared with identified drivers and practice-based examples from the selected countries. This paper shows how systemic the issue of overweight and obesity is, with drivers being present in nearly each segment of the food system. It helps to explain the complexities of addressing overweight and obesity across different levels, and why there are few proven interventions that are effective at the individual level. The study results show that food system-related interventions are applying traditional approaches such as food package labelling, price manipulation and changing the food environment, and that there is a gap in evidence on what works and what does not. The findings in this paper could be used to inform future agriculture and food systems investments for better nutrition and health outcomes

Suggested Citation

  • Herens, Marion & ten Hove, Hermine & Bakker, Sanne & Njoro, Joyce & Bianchi, Ilaria & Gemessa, Sinafikeh & Mendiratta, Vibhuti, 2023. "IFAD RESEARCH SERIES 91: Addressing overweight and obesity in LMICs in the realm of rural development and food systems," IFAD Research Series 337031, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:unadrs:337031
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.337031
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/337031/files/IFAD%20RESEARCH%20SERIES%2091.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.22004/ag.econ.337031?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Herforth, Anna & Bai, Yan & Venkat, Aishwarya & Mahrt, Kristi & Ebel, Alissa & Masters, William A., 2020. "Cost and affordability of healthy diets across and within countries," FAO Agricultural Development Economics Technical Study 309369, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Agricultural Development Economics Division (ESA).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bai, Yan & Costlow, Leah & Ebel, Alissa & Laves, Sarah & Ueda, Yurika & Volin, Natalie & Zamek, Maya & Herforth, Anna & Masters, William A., 2021. "Review: Retail consumer price data reveal gaps and opportunities to monitor food systems for nutrition," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    2. Bai, Yan & Alemu, Robel & Block, Steven A. & Headey, Derek & Masters, William A., 2021. "Cost and affordability of nutritious diets at retail prices: Evidence from 177 countries," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    3. Abdulazeez Hudu Wudil & Muhammad Usman & Joanna Rosak-Szyrocka & Ladislav Pilař & Mortala Boye, 2022. "Reversing Years for Global Food Security: A Review of the Food Security Situation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-22, November.
    4. Adam Drewnowski & Nicole Darmon & Pablo Monsivais, 2021. "Affordable Nutrient Density: Toward Economic Indicators of Sustainable Healthy Diets," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-9, August.
    5. Muhammad Azher Bhatti & Sosheel Solomon Godfrey & Shai André Divon & Julie Therese Aamodt & Siv Øystese & Peter C. Wynn & Lars Olav Eik & Øivind Fjeld-Solberg, 2022. "Micro-Investment by Tanzanian Smallholders’ in Drip Irrigation Kits for Vegetable Production to Improve Livelihoods: Lessons Learned and a Way Forward," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-26, October.
    6. Kate R. Schneider & Luc Christiaensen & Patrick Webb & William A. Masters, 2023. "Assessing the affordability of nutrient‐adequate diets," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 105(2), pages 503-524, March.
    7. Lindiwe M. Sibanda & Sithembile N. Mwamakamba, 2021. "Policy Considerations for African Food Systems: Towards the United Nations 2021 Food Systems Summit," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-15, August.
    8. Martin C. Parlasca & Matin Qaim, 2022. "Meat Consumption and Sustainability," Annual Review of Resource Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 14(1), pages 17-41, October.
    9. Kevin Kipkemei Koech & Christine G. Kiria Chege & Hillary Bett, 2022. "Which Food Outlets Are Important for Nutrient-Dense-Porridge-Flour Access by the Base-of-the-Pyramid Consumers? Evidence from the Informal Kenyan Settlements," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-13, September.
    10. Zandile June-Rose Mchiza, 2022. "Diet Therapy and Public Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-7, July.
    11. Schneider, Kate R., 2022. "Nationally representative estimates of the cost of adequate diets, nutrient level drivers, and policy options for households in rural Malawi," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    12. Raghunathan, Kalyani & Headey, Derek & Herforth, Anna, 2021. "Affordability of nutritious diets in rural India," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    13. A. Lourme-Ruiz & S. Dury & Y. Martin-Prével, 2021. "Linkages between dietary diversity and indicators of agricultural biodiversity in Burkina Faso [Les liens entre la diversité alimentaire et les indicateurs de diversité de la production au Burkina ," Post-Print ird-03127240, HAL.
    14. S. Sajeesh & Ozgur M. Araz & Terry T.‐K. Huang, 2022. "Market positioning in food industry in response to public health policies," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 31(7), pages 2962-2981, July.
    15. Fanzo, Jessica & Haddad, Lawrence & Schneider, Kate R. & Béné, Christophe & Covic, Namukolo M. & Guarin, Alejandro & Herforth, Anna W. & Herrero, Mario & Sumaila, U. Rashid & Aburto, Nancy J. & Amuyun, 2021. "Viewpoint: Rigorous monitoring is necessary to guide food system transformation in the countdown to the 2030 global goals," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    16. A. Lourme-Ruiz & S. Dury & Y. Martin-Prével, 2021. "Linkages between dietary diversity and indicators of agricultural biodiversity in Burkina Faso," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(2), pages 329-349, April.
    17. Loan Vu & Anu Rammohan & Srinivas Goli, 2021. "The Role of Land Ownership and Non-Farm Livelihoods on Household Food and Nutrition Security in Rural India," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-22, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ags:unadrs:337031. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: AgEcon Search (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/ifaunit.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.