Table 1

Description of data sets, study sample size, proportion of women (both seropositive and seronegative) classified as underweight, normal, overweight, and obese for countries included in the study




BMI classification (all sample) (m2/kg)




Region/Country
Year of survey
Sample size
Underweight (<18.5)
Normal (18.5–24.9)
Overweight (25.0 – 29.9)
Obese (≥ 30)

Central Africa






     Rwanda
2005
11, 321
9.9
78.2
11.0
1.0
     Cameroon
2004
10. 656
6.3
65.2
20.6
7.9
Eastern Africa






     Kenya
2003
8, 195
11.9
63.8
17.4
6.8
     Ethiopia
2005
14, 070
26.6
67.0
5.2
1.2
Southern Africa






     Lesotho
2004
7, 095
5.5
53.9
25.5
15.1
     Malawi
2004
11, 698
9.2
77.5
10.8
2.5
     Zimbabwe
2006
8,907
9.1
66.1
17.9
6.9
Western Africa






     Burkina Faso
2003
12, 477
21.6
69.8
6.4
2.2
     Ghana
2003
5, 691
9.8
67.2
15.8
7.3
     Guinea
2005
7, 954
13.7
73.1
10.7
2.5
     Senegal
2005
14, 602
18.1
61.6
14.0
6.2

BMI-Body mass index

Uthman BMC Public Health 2008 8:226   doi:10.1186/1471-2458-8-226