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© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the associated terms available at: https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/reusing-open-access-and-sage-choice-content

Abstract

Objective:

To synthesise evidence on body size preferences for females living in Africa and the factors influencing these.

Design:

Mixed-methods systematic review including searches on Medline, CINHAL, ASSIA, Web of Science and PsycINFO (PROSPERO CRD42015020509). A sequential-explanatory approach was used to integrate quantitative and qualitative findings.

Setting:

Urban and rural Africa.

Participants:

Studies of both sexes providing data on body size preferences for adolescent girls and women aged ≥10 years.

Results:

Seventy-three articles from twenty-one countries were included: fifty quantitative, fifteen qualitative and eight mixed methods. Most studies reported a preference for normal or overweight body sizes. Some studies of adolescent girls/young women indicated a preference for underweight. Factors influencing preferences for large(r) body sizes included: socio-demographic (e.g. education, rural residency), health-related (e.g. current BMI, pubertal status), psycho-social (e.g. avoiding HIV stigma) and socio-cultural factors (e.g. spouse’s preference, social standing, cultural norms). Factors influencing preferences for slim(mer) body sizes included: socio-demographic (e.g. higher socioeconomic status, urban residency, younger age), health-related (e.g. health knowledge, being nulliparous), psycho-social (e.g. appearance, body size perception as overweight/obese) and socio-cultural factors (e.g. peer pressure, media).

Conclusions:

Preference for overweight (not obese) body sizes among some African females means that interventions need to account for the array of factors that maintain these preferences. The widespread preference for normal weight is positive in public health terms, but the valorisation of underweight in adolescent girls/young women may lead to an increase in body dissatisfaction. Emphasis needs to be placed on education to prevent all forms of malnutrition.

Details

Title
Body size preferences for women and adolescent girls living in Africa: a mixed-methods systematic review
Author
Pradeilles, Rebecca 1 ; Holdsworth, Michelle 2 ; Oluwabukola Olaitan 3 ; Irache, Ana 4 ; Osei-Kwasi, Hibbah A 5 ; Ngandu, Christian B 6 ; Cohen, Emmanuel 7 

 School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences (SSEHS), Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK 
 UMR MoISA (Montpellier Interdisciplinary Centre on Sustainable Agri-food Systems), (Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, CIHEAM-IAMM, INRAE, Institut Agro, IRD), Montpellier, France 
 University Hospitals of Leicester NHS trust, Leicester, UK 
 Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK 
 Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK 
 MRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa 
 MRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; UMR CNRS-MNHN 7206 « Eco-anthropologie », Musée de l’Homme, Paris, France 
Pages
738-759
Section
Systemic Review
Publication year
2022
Publication date
Mar 2022
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
ISSN
13689800
e-ISSN
14752727
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2638863816
Copyright