High blood pressure and obesity are no longer confined to
wealthy countries, a new study has found.
These health risks have traditionally been associated with
affluence, and in 1980, they were more prevalent in countries with a higher
income.
The new research, published in Circulation, shows that the
average body mass index of the population is now just as high or higher in
middle-income countries. For blood pressure, the situation has reversed among
women, with a tendency for blood pressure to be higher in poorer countries.