Socio-Demographic Correlates of Overweight and Obesity among Women of Reproductive Age in Nigeria

The prevalence of excess adiposity is increasing in less developed countries. This study explored the associations of socio-demographic 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. X2 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/m2) and obesity (BMI 30kg/m2 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. Keywords: Obesity, correlates, women, reproductive age, Nigeria (Afr J Reprod Health 2013; 17[4]: 66-76