Nutritional and Socioeconomic Determinants of Overweight and Obesity in the French Amazon: The Health Barometer Study

OBJECTIVES: French Guiana is a multicultural overseas territory where obesity is a major public health problem. This study aimed to highlight the nutritional and socioeconomic determinants of overweight and obesity in different populations in French Guiana. METHODS: A two-stage random sample of 1390 individuals aged 15 to 75 years was surveyed by telephone, and the participants were initially screened for diabetes. Logistic regression was fitted on the sample to adjust for potential confounding factors. RESULTS: Overweight and obesity were found in 54.7% of the respondents, a higher proportion than in mainland France. There was a significant body image discrepancy in our population, with a higher risk of obesity among single women, often immigrants from the non-French Caribbean and South America, unemployed or low education. CONCLUSIONS: The main factors associated with obesity were being a precariousness immigrant; there was often a mismatch between body image and overweight/obesity, which is a major obstacle to the improvement of dietary behaviors and lifestyle. This information provides operational clues as to where to act and the necessary adaptations to attempt to modify behaviors in a culturally-adapted manner.