Owning a television, a computer and a car makes you well-off in a poor country; unfortunately, it also puts you at high risk for obesity, according to a recent study. The AFP reports that having such luxuries may present a health disadvantage for people in low-income countries. 

Thickening waistlines are a problem not only for first-world countries like the United States, but also for developing nations like India and Pakistan, which are seeing a rising trend in obesity.   

Published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the study used data from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiological Study (PURE), says Los Angeles Times. According to Global News, the study made use of several collaborations with researchers across the globe, with over 154,000 subjects interviewed and studied in a span of twelve years.

The research subjects came from 17 different nations with respondents from Canada, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates making up the developed countries at the higher end of the spectrum, and respondents from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Zimbabwe, nations considered to be developing countries, on the other end of the spectrum.

Researchers studied the profile and health habits of the participants through home visitations, clinic consultations and observations of their behavior in community centers. They documented the respondents' height, weight, diet and physical activity.

Most importantly, researchers determined if the respondents owned a television, a computer, and a car. They found that owning such luxuries increased the risk in obesity among respondents in poor countries.

Lead author Dr. Scott Lear said, "With the increasing uptake of modern-day conveniences, low and middle income countries could see the same obesity and diabetes rates as in high income countries that are a result of too much sitting, less physical activity and increased consumption of calories," according to the Science World Report.

Developing nations are adopting the Western lifestyle fast, and with it comes the trend of rising obesity. Dr. Lear opined that this fact "can lead to potentially devastating societal health care consequences in these countries," according to The News Tribe.

As to why the same conveniences do not show the same impact on developed nations, researchers say that the harmful effects are already manifested in high obesity rates.

The study is significant as it underlines the "importance of limiting the amount of time spent using household devices, reducing sedentary behavior and encouraging physical activity in the prevention of obesity and diabetes," reports the AFP.