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Socio-demographic correlates of overweight and obesity among women of reproductive age in Nigeria
Authors: Okoh M.
Source: African Journal of Reproductive Health, 17(4):66-76.
Topic(s): Body Mass Index (BMI)
Nutrition
Obesity
Women's health
Country: Africa
  Nigeria
Published: DEC 2013
Abstract: The prevalence of excess adiposity is increasing in less developed countries. This study explored the associations of sociodemographic factors with increased BMI among Nigeria women aged 20-49 years using secondary data collected for the 2008 NDHS. Anthropometric and socio-demographic variables of interest were extracted from the data and analyzed with SPSS version 15.0. Chi(2) was used to compare categorical variables and multi-nominal logistic regression was used to examine for correlates. The prevalence of overweight (BMI 25 to 29.9kg/m(2)) and obesity (BMI 30kg/m(2) and above) in this population were 18.1% and 7.1% respectively. The prevalence of overweight/obesity was highest among Igbo women. Multivariable logistic regression revealed increased frequency of watching television, belonging to a particular ethnic group, having a tertiary education and increased parity as risk factors for increased BMI. This study confirms a high prevalence of overweight and obesity among Nigerian women and identifies high risk groups for excessive weight gain.