Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T02:27:45.995Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Gender differences in dietary behaviours, health-related habits and prevalence of non-communicable diseases in Botswana

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2021

Gobopamang Letamo ,
Mpho Keetile Open the ORCID record for Mpho Keetile [Opens in a new window] ,
Kannan Navaneetham  and
Keitumetse Medupe
Gobopamang Letamo
Affiliation:
Department of Population Studies, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana
Mpho Keetile*
Affiliation:
Department of Population Studies, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana
Kannan Navaneetham
Affiliation:
Department of Population Studies, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana
Keitumetse Medupe
Affiliation:
Institute of Health Sciences, Gaborone, Botswana
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess gender differences in the prevalence non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and in associated health-related habits, weight status and common risk factors in Botswana. Data were from the cross-sectional, population-based Botswana STEPS Survey II conducted in 2014. A total sample of 2947 survey participants aged 25–64 years were included the study. The results showed that a statistically significant higher percentage of men used tobacco compared with women (34.4%, 95% CI: 33.5–35.1 vs 4.4%, 95% CI: 4.3–4.5). Men also had consistently and statistically significantly greater heavy alcohol consumption and lower fruit and/or vegetable consumption than women. Physical inactivity among women was higher than in men. Controlling for other factors, men had a higher probability of being overweight (28.7%, 95% CI: 28.6–28.8 vs 18.3%, 95% CI: 18.0–18.6) and obese (25.8%, 95% CI: 25.4–26.2 vs 10.2%, 95% CI: 9.9–10.5) than women. Women were at a greater risk of developing NCDs compared with men since their adjusted prevalence of having at least three common risk factors was higher than men’s. Women had a higher adjusted predicted prevalence of suffering from hypertension than men (39.4%, 95% CI: 38.9–40.0 vs 26.1%, 95% CI: 25.5–26.8). Appropriate policies and programmes need to be adopted to urgently address the problem of NCDs in Botswana.

Keywords

Gender differencesHealth-related habitsNon-communicable diseases
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 54 , Issue 6 , November 2022 , pp. 1067 - 1077
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adhikari, K (2014) Gender differences on risk factors of non-communicable diseases – a community based cross-sectional study in central Nepal. Journal of Nepal Health Research Council 12(27), 88–93.Google ScholarPubMed
African Union (2013) The impact of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and neglected tropical diseases (NTD) on development in Africa. Sixth Session of the African Union Conference of Ministers of Health Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 22–26th April 2013.Google Scholar
Alkazemi, D (2018) Gender differences in weight status, dietary habits, and health attitudes among college students in Kuwait: a cross-sectional study. Nutrition and Health 25(2), 75–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arganini, C, Saba, A, Comitato, R et al. (2012) Gender differences in food choice and dietary intake in modern western societies. In Maddock J (ed.) Public Health – Social and Behavioral Health. In Tech, pp. 83–102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beer-Borst, S, Hercberg, S, Morabia, A, Bernstein, MS, Galan, P, Galasso, R et al. (2000) Dietary patterns in six European populations: results from EURALIM, collaborative European data harmonization and information campaign. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 54, 253–262.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bray, GA and Popkin, BM (1998) Dietary fat intake does affect obesity! American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 185(1–2), 73–79.Google Scholar
Clarks, RA, Niccolai, L, Kissinger, PJ, Peterson, Y and Bouvier, V (1999) Ethnic differences in female overweight: data from the 1985 National Health Interview Survey. American Journal of Public Health 78, 1326–1329.Google Scholar
Commodore-Mensah, Y, Samuel, LJ, Dennison-Himmelfarb, CR and Agyemang, C (2014) Hypertension and overweight/obesity in Ghanaians and Nigerians living in West Africa and industrialized countries: a systematic review. Journal of Hypertension 32(3), 464–472.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chung, S and Hoerr, S (2005) Predictors of fruit and vegetable intakes in young adults by gender. Nutrition Research 25, 453–463.Google Scholar
Devine, CM and Olson, CM (1991) Women’s dietary prevention motives: life stage influences. Journal of Nutrition Education 23, 269–274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diez-roux, AV, Link, BG and Borthridge, ME (2000) Multilevel analysis of income inequality and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Social Science & Medicine 50, 673–687.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Donkin, AJM, Johnson, AE, Lilley, JM et al. (1998) Gender and living alone as determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption among the elderly living at home in urban Nottingham. Appetite 30, 39–51.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Drewnowski, A and Popkin, BM (1997) The nutrition transition: new trends in the global diet. Nutrition Review 55(2), 31–43.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fagerli, RA and Wandel, M (1999) Gender differences in opinions and practices with regard to a “healthy diet”. Appetite 32(2), 171–190.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ford, ND, Patel, SA and Narayan, KVM (2017) Obesity in low- and middle-income countries: burden, drivers, and emerging challenges. Annual Review of Public Health 38, 145–164 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fraser, GE, Welch, A, Luben, R, Bingham, SA and Day, NE (2000) The effect of age, sex and education on food consumption of a middle-aged English cohort-EPIC in East Anglia. Preventive Medicine 30, 26–34.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hirotsu, C, Tufik, S and Andersen, MI (2015) Interactions between sleep, stress and metabolism: from physiological to pathological conditions. Sleep Science 8(3), 143–152.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hosokawa, C, Ishikawa, H, Okada, M et al. (2016) Gender role orientation with health literacy and self-efficacy for healthy eating among Japanese workers in early adulthood. Frontiers in Nutrition 3, 17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jovicic, AD (2015) Healthy eating habits among the population of Serbia: gender and age differences. Journal of Health Population & Nutrition 33(1), 76–84.Google ScholarPubMed
Keetile, M, Navaneetham, K and Letamo, G (2015) Patterns and determinants of hypertension in Botswana. Journal of Public Health 23(5), 311–318.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Keetile, M, Navaneetham, K, Letamo, G and Rakgoasi, SD (2019a) Socio-economic and behavioural determinants of overweight/obesity in Botswana: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open 9, e029570.Google Scholar
Keetile, M, Navaneetham, K, Letamo, G and Rakgoasi, SD (2019b) Socioeconomic inequalities in non-communicable disease risk factors in Botswana: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health 19, 1060.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kiefer, I, Rathmanner, T and Kunze, M (2005) Eating and dieting differences in men and women. Review Literature and Arts of the Americas 2, 194–201.Google Scholar
Leblanc, V, Begin, C, Corneau, L, Dodin, S and Lemieux, S (2015) Gender differences in dietary intakes: what is the contribution of motivational variables? Journal of Human Nutrition & Diet 28(1), 37–46.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Letamo, G (2011) The prevalence of, and factors associated with, overweight and obesity in Botswana. Journal of Biosocial Science 43, 75–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Letamo, G (2020) Dual burden of underweight and overweight/obesity among adults in Botswana: prevalence, trends and socio-demographic correlates: a cross-sectional survey. BMJ Open, 0:e038614.doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-038614CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Letamo, G and Navaneetham, K (2014) Prevalence and determinants of adult under-nutrition in Botswana. PLoS One 9(7), e102675.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Letamo, G, Keetile, M, Navaneetham, K and Phatsimo, M (2016) Prevalence and correlates of self-reported chronic non-communicable diseases in Botswana: a cross-sectional study. International Health 9(1), 11–19.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Livingstone, IL, Saafir, BD and Manuel, RC (2012) Health knowledge among historically black college and university students: an exploratory study. College Student Journal 46(3), 581–588.Google Scholar
Lowry, R, Galuska, DA, Fulton, JE, Wechsler, H, Kann, L and Collins, JL (2000) Physical activity, food choice, and weight management goals and practices among US college students. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 18(1), 18–27.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Malinauskas, BM, Raedeke, TD, Aeby, VG, Smith, JL and Dallas, MB (2006) Dieting practices, weight perceptions and body composition: a comparison of normal weight, overweight and obese college females. Nutrition Journal 5(11), http://doi:10.1186/1475-2891-5-11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Masella, R (2017) Gender-related differences in dietary habits. Clinical Management Issues 11(2), 59–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Missagia, SV, Oliveira, SR and Rezende, DC (2013) Beauty and the beast: gender differences in food-related behaviour. Revista Brasileira de Marketing 12(1), 149–165.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Monge-Rojas, R, Fuster-Baraona, T, Garita, C, Sanchez, M, Castro-Smith, V, Valverde-Cerros, O and Colon-Ramos, U (2015) The influence of gender-stereotypes on eating habits among Costa Rican adolescents. American Journal of Health Promotion 29(5), 303–310.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mufunda, J, Mebrahtu, G, Usman, A, Nyarango, P, Kosia, A, Ghebrat, Y et al. (2006) The prevalence of hypertension and its relationship with obesity: results from national blood pressure survey in Eritrea. Journal of Human Hypertension 20(10), 59–65.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Njelekela, MA, Mpembeni, R, Muhihi, A, Mlingiliche, NL and Spiegelman, D (2009) Gender-related differences in the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors and their correlates in urban Tanzania, BMC Cardiovascular Disorder 9, 30–39.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Prattala, R, Paalanen, L, Grinberga, D, Helasoja, V, Kasmel, A and Petkeviciene, J (2006) Gender differences in the consumption of meat, fruit and vegetables are similar in Finland and the Baltic countries. European Journal of Public Health 17(5), 520–525.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Puoane, T, Steyn, K, Bradshaw, D, Laubscher, R, Fourie, J, Lambert, V and Mbananga, N (2002) Obesity in South Africa: the South African Demographic and Health Survey. Obesity Research 10(10), 1038–1046.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Republic of Botswana (2015) Botswana STEPS Survey Report on Non-communicable Disease Risk Factors. Ministry of Health & World Health Organisation.Google Scholar
Rivera, JA, Barquera, S, Gonzalez-Cossio, T, Olaiz, G and Sepulveda, JL (2004) Nutrition transition in Mexico and other Latin American countries. Nutrition Review 62(7), S149–157.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rolls, BJ, Fedoroff, IC and Guthrie, JF (1991) Gender differences in eating behaviour and body weight regulation. Health Psychology 10(2), 133–142.Google ScholarPubMed
Rozin, P, Fischler, C, Imada, S et al. (1999) Attitudes to food and the role of food in life in the U.S.A., Japan, Flemish Belgium and France: possible implications for the diet–health debate. Appetite 33(2), 163–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ruel, MT, Minot, N and Smith, L (2004) Patterns and determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption in sub-Saharan Africa: a multi-country comparison. Background paper for the Joint FAO/WHO Workshop on Fruit and Vegetables for Health 2004, Kobe, Japan. URL: https://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/publications/f%26v_africa_economics.pdf Google Scholar
Torun, B, Stein, AD, Schroeder, D, Grajeda, R, Conlisk, A, Rodriguez, M et al. (2002) Rural-to-urban migration and cardiovascular disease risk factors in young Guatemalan adults. International Journal of Epidemiology 31, 218–226.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Varela-Mato, V, Cancela, JM, Ayan, C, Martin, V and Molina, A (2012) Lifestyle and health among Spanish university students: differences by gender academic discipline. International Journal of Environment Research & Public Health 9(8), 2728–2741.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vari, R, Schazzocchio, B and Papa, SD (2017) Dietary habits and gender differences. Italian Journal of Gender-Specific Medicine 3(2), 55–58.Google Scholar
Vari, R, Schazzocchio, B, D’Amore, A, Giovannini, C, Gessani, S and Masella, R (2016) Gender-related differences in lifestyle may affect health status. Annali dell’Istituto Superiore di Sanità 52(2), 158–166.Google ScholarPubMed
Vartanian, LR (2015) Impression management and food intake: current directions in research. Appetite 2014(86), 74–80 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
von Bothmer, MI and Fridlund, B (2005) Gender differences in health habits and motivation for healthy lifestyle among Swedish university students. Nursing Health Science 7(2), 107–118.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wah, CS (2016) Gender differences in eating behaviour. International Journal of Accounting and Business Management 4(2), 116–121.Google Scholar
Wardle, AK, Haase, AM, Steptoe, A, Nillapun, M, Jonwutiwes, K and Bellisle, F (2004) Gender differences in food choice: the contribution of health beliefs and dieting. Annals of Behavioural Medicine 27(2), 107–116.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wardle, J, Parmenter, K and Waller, J (2000) Nutrition knowledge and food intake. Appetite 34, 269–275.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
WHO (2010) Non-communicable Diseases: A Priority for Women’s Health and Development, Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health. World Health Organization, Geneva.Google Scholar
WHO (2012) A Comprehensive Global Monitoring Framework, including Indicators and a Set of Voluntary Global Targets for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases. WHO, Geneva. URL: WHO: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs355/en/.Google Scholar
WHO (2013) Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases 2013–2020. WHO, Geneva.Google Scholar
WHO (2018) Physical Activity. WHO, Geneva. URL: https://www.who.int/news-room/facts-in-pictures/detail/physical-activity Google Scholar
Yahia, N, Wang, D, Rapley, M and Dey, R (2015) Assessment of weight status, dietary habits and beliefs, physical activity, and nutritional knowledge among university students. Perspectives of Public Health, doi:10.1177/175791391560995CrossRefGoogle Scholar