Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Human Nutrition, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Adv Nutr. 2012 Jul 1;3(4):491-8. doi: 10.3945/an.112.002063.
There is a global obesity pandemic. However, the prevalence of overweight and obesity among men and women varies greatly within and between countries, and overall, more women are obese than men. These gender disparities in overweight and obesity are exacerbated among women in developing countries, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. Yet, in developed countries, more men are overweight than women. Current knowledge suggests that myriad sociocultural dynamics throughout the world exacerbate gender disparities in excess weight gain. Different contextual factors drive gender differences in food consumption, and women often report consuming healthier foods, yet may consume more sugar-laden foods, than men. Acculturation, through complex sociocultural pathways, affects weight gain among both men and women. The nutrition transition taking place in many developing countries has also affected excess weight gain among both genders, but has had an even greater impact on the physical activity levels of women. Furthermore, in some countries, cultural values favor larger body size among women or men as a sign of fertility, healthfulness, or prosperity. As the global obesity pandemic continues, more research on gender disparities in overweight and obesity will improve the understanding of this pandemic.
全球肥胖症流行。然而，在不同国家和国家内部，男性和女性的超重和肥胖患病率存在巨大差异，总体而言，女性肥胖的比例高于男性。在发展中国家，尤其是在中东和北非，这种超重和肥胖方面的性别差异更为严重。然而，在发达国家，超重的男性比女性多。目前的知识表明，世界各地的无数社会文化动态加剧了超重方面的性别差异。不同的背景因素推动了性别差异对食物消费的影响，而女性往往报告说自己吃的食物更健康，但可能比男性摄入更多含糖食物。通过复杂的社会文化途径，文化适应会影响男性和女性的体重增加。许多发展中国家正在发生的营养转型也对两性的超重产生了影响，但对女性的体力活动水平影响更大。此外，在一些国家，文化价值观倾向于女性或男性的更大体型，认为这是生育能力、健康或繁荣的标志。随着全球肥胖症流行的继续，更多关于超重和肥胖方面的性别差异的研究将有助于更好地了解这一流行。
