Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Author-Name: Rosario Asián Chaves
Author-Name: Ruby de los Ángeles Pasos Cervera
Title:  SOBREPESO Y OBESIDAD EN  COMUNIDADES INDÍGENAS MAYAS. ECONOMÍA, CULTURA Y GÉNERO
Abstract: Resumen:La vida de las comunidades rurales mexicanas experimentó cambios significativos procedentes de los procesos derivados de la globalización. La combinación de cultura indígena en Yucatán y modernidad originó nuevos estilos de vida provocando importantes problemas de salud como el sobrepeso y obesidad, que dada su multidimensionalidad puede y debe ser analizado desde diferentes disciplinas. Su carácter económico y social justifica estudiar la Población en Edad de Trabajar analizando factores del mercado laboral, de consumo, y de género en un contexto de cultura local. Se utilizan modelos de regresión logística binaria para establecer la relación con diversas variablesAbstract:Introduction
The life of rural communities in Mexico has undergone significant changes in recent years as a result of the processes been driven by globalization. The combination of indigenous culture in Yucatan and modernity has brought new lifestyles that have caused a negative impact on the nutritional status of its inhabitants. Among them, overweight and obesity have become one of the most important health problems, which can and must be analysed from different disciplines given its multidimensionality. Economic and social nature makes relevant study the Working Age Population analysing labour market factors, consumer, and gender in the context of local culture given its large indigenous population.
Aim
Overweight and obesity is a serious public health problem affecting several countries, among which Mexico highlights, and especially the state of Yucatan, which has a high indigenous Mayan population mostly in its rural areas. The main objective of this work is studying this high incidence of overweight and obesity in rural areas as a result of a strong cultural roots in a conducive context for the increase in body mass index (BMI), being the gender a differentiating factor.
Methodology
In this study, socio-demographic factors and cultural character and its relationship to nutritional imbalance of the studied population are analysed. Also, labour factors of Yucatan rural population and its relationship to overweight and obesity rates are analysed. Finally, several variables related to nutritional imbalance are contrasted and gender differences in the Yucatan rural population are identified. In order to do this, there were used the results of the surveys and work anthropometric measurement and others made in the project: "The effects of globalization on traditional food consumption, the use of biodiversity and nutrition of the rural inhabitants of Yucatan, Mexico" (Becerril, 2009). The design was based on a simple stratified sampling; in each region three rural localities were chosen. According to the purposes of this study there were considered localities greater than 500 and less than 2,500 inhabitants, resulting within these parameters 20 localities. 
The survey applied consists of two main blocks: Y) health and II) the economy. In total 1,705 surveys were conducted in 390 households. However, anthropometric measurements were performed to 1,022 people. From comprehensive database, variables related to the occupation, the location of the community regarding the state capital, education, and consumption habits were selected; and in the case of women if they have had children. Then, there were built, using SPSS software, binary logistic regression models for both men and women.
Main results
The variables that were determined most relevant according to the literature, and that were integrated in the model of binary logistic regression are: sex, education level, occupation, sector of activity, type of income, proximity to Merida (capital of the State of Yucatan), where to eat, where to buy their food, type of beverage that accompanies their food, type of water consumed (drinking, well or bottled as an indicator of consumption of industrial products), in the case of women the number of children they have given birth.
On the health issue, obesity stands out as a problem that affects a large population, from childhood to adulthood, with the highest incidence in women. The role of women in the Mayan culture, especially in their role as mothers, is related to the fact that they do not see obesity as a health problem. Moreover, the image they have of the physical body, particularly the notions of body aesthetics, is very different from what we have in Western urban societies.
In accordance with the results of the first model (women), overweight and obesity have a statistically significant relationship with the level of education in general (p-value = 0,000), occupation (p-value = 0,015) and type of water consumed (p-value = 0,000 for water in general, p-value = 0,023 for well water and p-value = 0,001 for bottled water). With the other variables analysed is not statistically significant.
For the second regression model for women is considered the variable number of children, and overweight or obese have a statistically significant relationship with the fact that women have children.
In the regression model for men the goodness of fit of the model was revised by the Hosmer-Lemeshow test and a good adjustment model was obtained. The results show the S + O has a statistically significant relationship with the occupation (p-value = 0,000) and the type of water consumed (p-value = 0.000) generally and for bottled water. With the other variables analysed the relationship is not statistically significant.
For both women and men, the variables proximity to the city of Merida, where you eat, where you buy your food and kind of drinks accompanying foods do not affect the condition of overweight or obesity.
According to the results of the regression model the likelihood of obesity decreases by increasing the level of education only for women, but in these rural areas in Mexico, women have lower educational level than men. 
Overweight and obesity has a significant relationship with the fact that women have children; the more children have women the higher the likelihood that women have obesity or overweight is.
Contrasting models respect to the values of R2 Nagelkerke shows that the analysed variables explain the condition of being overweight or obese better in the case of men than for women, however, the occupation increases further the likelihood of being overweight or obese for men and acts inversely for women.
Conclusion
It is confirmed in this study the high incidence of overweight and obesity in the rural communities in Yucatan, México. The variables considered affect the condition of overweight and obesity in a different way in the case of being male or female. Thus, the fact of being employed increases the probability of overweight and obesity in men and instead decreases it in women. There is a relationship between the indigenous Mayan culture and a certain 'lack of awareness' of the health problem that supposes the overweight and obesity. Although at the moment is the woman who has the highest rates of obesity, it can also be the most effective way to implement actions to sustained improvements. Education is perhaps the most efficient strategy in the short, medium and long term. Moreover, it is urgent to reduce welfare gaps between rural and urban as well as gender.
Classification-JEL: R1
Keywords: Salud, Obesidad, Sobrepeso, Género, Indígena, Health, Obesity, Overweight, Gender, Indigenous
Pages: 139-163
Volume: 2
Year: 2017
File-URL: http://www.revistaestudiosregionales.com/documentos/articulos/pdf-articulo-2523.pdf
File-Format: Application/pdf
Handle: RePEc:rer:articu:v:2:y:2017:p:139-163