Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL; Brown School, Washington University, St. Louis, MO.
School of Economics and Resource Management, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Ann Epidemiol. 2019 Sep;37:31-36. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2019.07.002. Epub 2019 Jul 12.
This study assessed the longitudinal relationship between trade openness and obesity rate across 175 countries during 1975-2016.
Two-way (country and year) fixed-effects regressions were performed to examine the openness index (i.e., sum of export and import over gross domestic product) in relation to country obesity rate, using data from World Health Organization and World Bank.
The openness index was found to be positively associated with country obesity prevalence-a 10% increase in the openness index was associated with an increase in obesity rate by 0.80% (95% confidence interval, 0.67%-0.94%). Across continents, the positive relationship between the openness index and obesity prevalence was strongest among Asian countries, followed by countries in North America and Africa. Across income levels, the positive relationship between the openness index and obesity prevalence was strongest among lower middle-income countries, followed by upper middle-income countries and low-income countries. In contrast, no relationship between the two was identified among high-income countries.
Trade openness was positively associated with country obesity prevalence, and its influence concentrated among developing nations. Policy makers should closely monitor the evolution in obesity rate during trade liberalization and nutrition transition to minimize its negative impact on weight-related population health.
本研究评估了 1975 年至 2016 年间 175 个国家贸易开放度与肥胖率之间的纵向关系。
采用世界卫生组织和世界银行的数据，通过双向（国家和年份）固定效应回归，检验了开放指数（即出口和进口总额占国内生产总值的总和）与国家肥胖率之间的关系。
发现开放指数与国家肥胖流行率呈正相关——开放指数增加 10%，肥胖率增加 0.80%（95%置信区间，0.67%-0.94%）。在各大洲，开放指数与肥胖流行率之间的正相关关系在亚洲国家最强，其次是北美和非洲国家。在不同收入水平中，开放指数与肥胖流行率之间的正相关关系在中低收入国家最强，其次是中高收入国家和低收入国家。相比之下，高收入国家两者之间没有关系。
贸易开放度与国家肥胖流行率呈正相关，其影响集中在发展中国家。政策制定者应密切监测贸易自由化和营养转型过程中肥胖率的演变，以尽量减少其对与体重相关的人口健康的负面影响。
