Marriage contributes to higher obesity risk in China: findings from the China Health and Nutrition Survey

Prevalence and Factors Related to Physical Activity in Spanish Adults with Obesity and Overweight: Analysis of the European Health Surveys for the Years 2014 and 2020

(1) Background: To analyze the prevalence of physical activity (PA) according to the presence of overweight or obesity and other sociodemographic factors in the Spanish adult population. (2) Methods: Cross-sectional study using the European Health Interview Surveys for Spain from 2014 and 2020. (3) Results: In overweight and obese people, the percentage of those who reported not performing any type of PA remained constant between 2014 and 2020, while a statistically significant increase was observed in the percentage of people who walked for 10 min a day and exercised at least 2 days a week. The probability of being obese with respect to normal weight was higher in individuals who reported not engaging in PA during leisure time (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.31-1.53), those who did not walk 10 min a day at least 2 days a week (OR 1.25; 95% CI 1.15-1.35), and those who did not exercise at least 2 days a week (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.32-1.53). The probability of being overweight was higher in individuals who reported not performing PA during leisure time (OR 1.07; 95% CI 1.02-1.15) and in those who did not exercise at least 2 days per week (OR 1.15; 95% CI 1.09-1.22). (4) Conclusions: Small increases in PA have been observed in both overweight and obese individuals from 2014 to 2020.

The Association between Marital Status and Obesity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Obesity was included in the International Classification of Diseases in 1990 as a chronic disease characterized by the excessive accumulation of body fat and a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 kg/m2.

AIM

This systematic review was aimed to examine the role of marital status in determining body mass index and the risk of obesity.

METHODS

We performed a systematic literature search using three databases (PubMed (Medline), Embase, and Google Scholar) with the search query.

RESULTS

Of the 105 studies included in the systematic review, 76 studies (72%) reported a greater risk of obesity in married individuals compared to unmarried individuals. A meta-analysis of 24 studies included a total population of 369,499 participants: 257,257 married individuals (40,896 of whom had obesity) and 112,242 comparison subjects (single, divorced, or widowed individuals, 15,084 of whom had obesity). Odds ratios for obesity found a significant pooled odds ratio for obesity in married individuals compared with controls (OR 1.70; 95% CI 1.38-2.10). The socioeconomic environment was not the same throughout the period of studies analyzed. The odds of obesity in married individuals during economic crises was greater than during the period between crises: OR 2.56 (95% CI 2.09-3.13) during crises vs. OR 1.55 (95% CI 1.24-1.95) between crises.

CONCLUSION

The results of this review confirm the importance of considering marital status in determining the risk of obesity.

Effects of family life cycle events on individual Body Mass Index trajectories: Evidence from China

PURPOSE

Body mass index (BMI) is an important predictor of one's physiological health. China is a family-centric nation compared to Western societies and has already entered an aged society. Exploring the characteristics and patterns of BMI changes during household events in China provides critical insights into the biological and social determinants of health, which can help enhance the scientific validity of health promotion measures and contribute to the realization of healthy aging goals in China.

METHODS

Using data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) from 1993 to 2015, this article utilizes two-level growth curve models with piecewise spline specifications for age to examine the effects of family life cycle events on BMI trajectories for age groups and gender differences.

RESULTS

Compared to continuing status, experiencing transition in an individual's family life cycle could lead to more fluctuating variations in their BMI trajectories, generally, there is a faster increase in BMI during youth and a faster decline during old age. As for gender heterogeneity, males are more affected by divorce, widowhood, and empty nest, whereas females' BMI changes are influenced by entering/maintaining marriage and parenthood.

CONCLUSIONS

A long-term perspective has revealed the significance of family events on BMI throughout the life course. Future research should focus on the nutrition and health of specific populations, especially elderly individuals in vulnerable groups.

The relationship between Marriage and Body Mass Index in China：Evidence from the China Health and Nutrition Survey

This study investigates the impact of marriage on the body mass index (BMI) of individuals aged 18-45 in China. We used data from ten rounds of the China Health and Nutrition Survey spanning from 1989 to 2015, and applied Difference-in-Differences (DID) model to examine the impact of marriage on BMI. Our findings reveal that marriage has a significant positive effect on BMI, especially among males, with post-marriage elevation of male BMI continuing to increase over time. Moreover, marriage is associated with a 5.2% increase in the prevalence of overweight and a 2.5% rise in the incidence of obesity among males. While energy intake levels for Chinese women did not undergo significant changes after marriage, nor did their energy expenditure levels, men experienced a marked alteration in energy balance, characterized by an increase in caloric intake and a decrease in physical activity. Furthermore, our study confirms significant period differences in the effect of marriage on BMI, with post-marriage elevation of male BMI continuing to rise over time. In contrast, there was no clear trend for female BMI after marriage. Our research highlights the importance of promoting physical fitness and health management within families while fostering intimate relationships through marriage. Public health policies should consider the potential impact of marriage as an intervention window for addressing individuals' weight management needs. Distinct post-marriage body management plans should be designed for both genders.

Prevalence and factors associated with overweight, obesity and central obesity among adults in Shenmu City, Shaanxi Province, China

Objectives

This research aimed to explore the prevalence and determinants of overweight, obesity, and central obesity in Shenmu City, Shaanxi Province, China and to offer guidance for preventative health measures.

Methods

We conducted a multi-stage, stratified random sampling survey among 4,565 residents of Shenmu City. Data collection included questionnaires and anthropometric assessments to gather socio-demographic data and to identify cases of overweight, obesity, and central obesity. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was utilized to assess the association between various factors and these conditions.

Results

The observed prevalence rates for overweight, obesity, central obesity, and the combination of overweight/obesity with central obesity were 39.9%, 18.2%, 48.0%, 32.8%, and 22.8%, respectively. Notably, the incidence of these conditions was significantly higher in men compared to women. The prevalence of overweight and obesity initially increased and then decreased with age, whereas the prevalence of central obesity consistently rose. Furthermore, a higher educational level correlated with lower prevalence rates. Additionally, our analysis indicated that hypertension, dyslipidemia, and hyperuricemia are risk factors for these conditions.

Conclusions

The findings of this study offer crucial insights for formulating effective strategies to prevent and manage obesity in Shenmu City.

Intuitive eating has reduced the chances of being overweight in university students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction

University students have been particularly affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, and several sociodemographic and behavioral factors may be associated with the risk of overweight in this population. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the pandemic on the eating behavior and nutritional status of university students, and the factors associated with these changes, especially the role of intuitive eating in this process.

Methods

This is a repeated measures observational study with data collected in the first and third year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, from students over the age of 18 in the undergraduate programs of a federal university in southeastern Brazil. The survey was conducted using an online form. Eating behavior was assessed using the "Intuitive Eating Scale-2".

Results

251 university students took part, most of them female with a median age of 22. There was an increase in body mass index (BMI) and intuitive eating score between the two periods. In the first year of the pandemic, being female and using tobacco reduced the chances of students being overweight. Living in a marital relationship, worrying about weight gain and body dissatisfaction increased the chances of this outcome. In the third year of the pandemic, it was observed that practicing restrictive diets, having inadequate body perception, worrying about weight gain and living in a marital relationship increased the chances of students being overweight. Being female and eating more intuitively, in line with bodily needs, reduced these odds, demonstrating a protective role in this scenario.

Conclusion

There was an increase in BMI and intuitive eating score during the pandemic. Sociodemographic, lifestyle and behavioral variables had both a positive and negative influence on nutritional status. Intuitive eating was shown to be a protective factor during this period, reducing the chances of being overweight in this population. Thus, more intuitive eating may favor greater weight stability, and may, therefore, have helped to reduce the impact of the pandemic on weight gain. In this way, people who ate more intuitively partially resisted the context that favored weight gain (stress, changes in diet and physical inactivity).

Dietary insulin index, dietary insulin load and dietary patterns and the risk of metabolic syndrome in Hoveyzeh Cohort Study

Postprandial insulin secretion has been associated with metabolic disorders such as hyperlipidemia and type 2 diabetes. Therefore, we aimed to explore the relationship between dietary insulin indices and dietary pattern with the risk of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). The participants of the present cross-sectional study were included among the individuals who participated in the Hoveyzeh Cohort Study (HCS). A total of 3905 Iranian adults, aged 35-70 years, are included in the current analysis. The Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) is used to calculate the dietary Insulin Index (DII), Insulin Load (DIL), and dietary pattern. Dietary pattern was derived using Reduced-Rank Regression (RRR) based on intake of protein (g/day), fiber (g/day), fat (g/day), magnesium (mg/day), and dietary insulin index were considered as response variables. The Generalized Linear Model was used to obtain the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for MetS based on gender, while considering quartiles of DIL, DII scores, and dietary pattern, adjusted for potential confounders. The mean ± SD of age and BMI of the participants in the top quartile of DIL were 45.72 ± 8.05 years and 28.25 ± 5.02 kg/m2, respectively. The mean ± SD of DII was 40.53 ± 4.06 and the mean ± SD of DIL was 117,986.1 ± 30,714.06. A significant positive association was observed between DIL and MetS in women after adjusting for confounding factors (OR: 1.51; 95% CI 1.16; 1.96). No significant association was seen between DIL, DII, and MetS among men. A derived dietary pattern characterized by high intakes of fruits, sugar, sweet deserts, Whole Grains, and dairy was associated with an increased risk of MetS in adjusted model2 among women (OR: 1.41; 95% CI 1.13; 1.75) and men in the same model (OR: 2.09; 95% CI 1.35; 3.21).However, the final model was significant just for men (OR: 2.08; 95% CI 1.35; 3.21) and not for women (OR: 1.24; 95% CI 0.96; 1.60). Our findings showed that adherence to a diet with a high insulin load can increase the risk of MetS in women. In addition, a derived dietary pattern by RRR indicated that a diet rich in fruits, sugar, sweet deserts, whole Grains, and dairy is related to increased risk of MetS in both men and women.

A wide landscape of morbidity and mortality risk associated with marital status in 0.5 million Chinese men and women: a prospective cohort study

Background

A comprehensive depiction of long-term health impacts of marital status is lacking.

Methods

Sex-stratified phenome-wide association analyses (PheWAS) of marital status (living with vs. without a spouse) were performed using baseline (2004-2008) and follow-up information (ICD10-coded events till Dec 31, 2017) from the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB). We estimated adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) to evaluate the associations of marital status with morbidity risks of phenome-wide significant diseases or sex-specific top-10 death causes in China documented in 2017. Additionally, the association between marital status and mortality risks among participants with major chronic diseases at baseline was assessed.

Findings

During up to 11.1 years of the median follow-up period, 1,946,380 incident health events were recorded among 210,202 men and 302,521 women aged 30-79. Marital status was found to have phenome-wide significant associations with thirteen diseases among men (p < 9.92 × 10-5) and nine diseases among women (p < 9.33 × 10-5), respectively. After adjusting for all disease-specific covariates in the final model, participants living without a spouse showed increased risks of schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders (aHR [95% CI]: 2.55, [1.83-3.56] for men; 1.49, [1.13-1.97] for women) compared with their counterparts. Additional higher risks in overall mental and behavioural disorder (1.31, 1.13-1.53), cardiovascular disease (1.07, 1.04-1.10) and cancer (1.06, 1.00-1.12) were only observed among men without a spouse, whereas women living without a spouse were at lower risks of developing genitourinary diseases (0.89, 0.85-0.93) and injury & poisoning (0.93, 0.88-0.97). Among 282,810 participants with major chronic diseases at baseline, 39,166 deaths were recorded. Increased mortality risks for those without a spouse were observed in 12 of 21 diseases among male patients and one of 23 among female patients. For patients with any self-reported disease at baseline, compared with those living with a spouse, the aHRs (95% CIs) of mortality risk were 1.29 (1.24-1.34) and 1.04 (1.00-1.07) among men and women without a spouse (pinteraction<0.0001), respectively.

Interpretation

Long-term associations of marital status with morbidity and mortality risks are diverse among middle-aged Chinese adults, and the adverse impacts due to living without a spouse are more profound among men. Marital status may be an influential factor for health needs.

Funding

The National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Kadoorie Charitable Foundation, the National Key R&D Program of China, the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, and the UK Wellcome Trust.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices regarding Obesity among Population of Urban (Douala) and Rural (Manjo) Areas in Cameroon

Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) studies have recently been suggested as a useful tool to understand the specificity of the population related to a disease. However, in Cameroon, there is a lack of information based on KAP studies regarding obesity. This study has been designed to collect basic indicators on the KAP of the populations regarding overweight and obesity in urban and rural areas in Cameroon (Douala and Manjo). For this purpose, an epidemiological community-based cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in these two areas using a well-structured questionnaire. Sociodemographic and medical characteristics and KAP information were assessed. For the quantification of KAP, a score varying from 0 (poor knowledge, attitude, or practices) to 100 (good knowledge, attitude, or practices) was attributed for each question. Correlations between knowledge, attitude, and practice were determined using inferential statistics tests which were χ2 test, independent Student t-test, ANOVA (followed by Tukey's post hoc test), and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results reveal that living in a rural area (Manjo), being overweight or obese, having complete secondary education, and being married increase the knowledge and the practice score. There is a strong and positive correlation between knowledge and practice score. However, there is no association between attitude and practice and between attitude and knowledge. Reducing the disparities between knowledge, attitude, and practices constitutes a serious track in a holistic strategy for the management of obesity in these areas.

Prevalence of overweight and its associated factors among Malaysian adults: Findings from a nationally representative survey

The World Health Organization has reported that the prevalence of overweight is a growing problem in many countries, including middle- and lower-income countries like Malaysia. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of overweight and its associated factors among Malaysian adults. A total of 9782 Malaysian adults aged 18 and above were included in this study, representing states and federal territories from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019. Sociodemographic data (sex, locality, age, marital status, ethnicity, educational level, income level, and health literacy), non-communicable disease status (hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia), and lifestyle behaviours (physical activity level, smoking status, and also fruit and vegetable consumption) were collected and analysed to identify factors associated with overweight. The study found that the prevalence of overweight among Malaysian adults was 50.1%. Multivariate analyses showed that several factors, including female gender [aOR (95% CI) = 1.33 (1.11, 1.58); p = .002], ages 30-59 years [aOR (95% CI) = 1.61 (1.31, 1.97); p < .001], being Malay [aOR (95% CI) = 1.68 (1.36, 2.07); p < .001], Indian [aOR (95% CI) = 2.59 (1.80, 3.74); p < .001] or other Bumiputera [aOR (95% CI) = 1.82 (1.38, 2.39); p < .001], being married [aOR (95% CI) = 1.23 (1.00, 1.50); p = .046], and having adequate health literacy [aOR (95% CI) = 1.19 (1.01, 1.39); p = .033], were significantly associated with an increased risk of overweight. Additionally, overweight individuals had a significantly higher risk of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes [aOR (95% CI) = 1.47 (1.23, 1.75); p < .001] and hypertension [aOR (95% CI) = 2.60 (2.20, 3.07); p < .001]. The study suggests that intervention programs should be implemented in an equitable and cost-effective manner to target these high-risk populations and address the burden of overweight in Malaysia.

Quantifying impact of obesity on cardiometabolic comorbidities and public health implications: Insights from South Africa

INTRODUCTION

South Africa has the highest obesity and hypertension rates in the African region. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to quantify the correlates and burden of obesity and their impacts on cardiometabolic conditions.

METHODS

The study population was 80,270 men(41 %) and women(59 %) who participated in South African national surveys (2008-to-2017). Weighted-logistic regression models and the population attributable risk (PAR %) were used after accounting for the correlation structure of the risk factors in a multifactorial setting.

RESULTS

Overall, 63 % of the women and 28 % of the men were either overweight or obese. Parity was identified as the most influential factor and exclusively associated with 62 % of the obesity in women; being married/cohabiting had the highest impact on obesity in men and associated with 37 % of the obesity. Overall, 69 % of them had comorbidities including hypertension, diabetes and heart disease. More than 40 % of the comorbidities were attributed to overweight/obesity.

CONCLUSION

Developing culturally appropriate prevention programs are urgently needed to raise awareness of obesity, hypertension and their impacts on severe cardiometabolic diseases. This approach would also significantly reduce COVID-19 related poor health outcomes and premature deaths.

Impact of Marital Status on Management and Outcomes of Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction: Insights From the China Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry

Background Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, whereas social support is a known predictor of the prognosis after AMI. As a common factor influencing social support, the impact of marital status on care quality, in-hospital mortality, and long-term prognosis of patients with AMI remains largely unknown. Methods and Results The present study analyzed data from the CAMI (China Acute Myocardial Infarction) registry involving 19 912 patients with AMI admitted at 108 hospitals in China between January 2013 and September 2014 and aimed to evaluate marital status-based differences in acute management, medical therapies, and short-term and long-term outcomes. The primary end point was 2-year all-cause death. The secondary end points included in-hospital death and 2-year major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, or stroke). After multivariable adjustment, 1210 (6.1%) unmarried patients received less reperfusion treatment in patients with both ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction and non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.520 [95% CI, 0.437-0.618]; P<0.0001; adjusted OR, 0.489 [95% CI, 0.364-0.656]; P<0.0001). Being unmarried was not associated with poorer in-hospital outcome but with long-term all-cause mortality and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events in both ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.225 [95% CI, 1.031-1.456]; P=0.0209; adjusted HR, 1.277 [95% CI, 1.089-1.498]; P=0.0027) and non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (adjusted HR, 1.302 [95% CI, 1.036-1.638]; P=0.0239; adjusted HR, 1.368 [95% CI, 1.105-1.694]; P=0.0040) populations. Conclusions The present study suggests that being unmarried is independently related to less reperfusion received, but could not explain the higher in-hospital mortality rate after covariate adjustment. Being unmarried is associated with a substantially increased risk of adverse events over at least the first 24 months after AMI. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT01874691.

Spatiotemporal distribution and determinants of overweight or obesity among urban women in Ethiopia: a multivariate decomposition analysis

BACKGROUND

Overweight /obesity is a global public health concern. It is higher among women than men in most continents of the world. This study aimed to determine the spatiotemporal distribution and determinants of changes in overweight/obesity over time among urban women in Ethiopia.

METHODS

We used data from three consecutive Demographic and Health Surveys in Ethiopia (2005, 2011, and 2016). The total weighted sample of 1112 in 2005, 3569 in 2011, and 3071 in 2016 urban women were included in the analysis. The primary outcome measure of this study was the spatiotemporal distribution and trends over time in overweight/obesity. Factors contributing to change in overweight/obesity were examined using a logit-based multivariate decomposition analysis.

RESULTS

Overweight/obesity increased from 14.2% in 2005 to 21% in 2016. Approximately 61.3% of the overall increase in overweight/obesity among urban women was due to the difference in coefficient (difference in the effect of characteristics) across the surveys. Changes in the composition of women aged 25-49 years (β = 0.012, 95% CI 0.008, 0.015), married women (β = 0.010, 95% CI 0.006, 0.014), women with formal education (primary: β = 0.007, 95% CI 0.003, 0.011, higher education: β = 0.014, 95% CI 0.006, 0.022), women with formal employment (β = 0.006, 95% CI 0.001, 0.011), and women with informal employment (β = - 0.002, 95% CI - 0.003, - 0.0004) were factors contributing to the change in overweight/obesity from 2005 to 2016. The risk difference (RD) in women's overweight/obesity significantly varied across regions in urban Ethiopia. Furthermore, a high proportion of overweight/obesity was found mainly in Tigray, Oromia, Amhara, and Addis Ababa.

CONCLUSIONS

The rate of overweight/obesity among women in urban Ethiopia has shown a significant increase over the last 11 years. This rate change was due to changes in the composition of women's age, educational status, marital status, and employment status. Therefore, program interventions should be targeted at older (> 25 years), educated, married, Addis Ababa residents, and formally employed women.

Association Between Nutritional Knowledge, Dietary Regimen, and Excess Body Weight in Primary School Teachers

Introduction

Peru is one of the developing countries with the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity in Latin America and Caribbean region. Primary school teachers are identified as a high-risk group for overweight and obesity. However, studies conducted in this population group are limited. This study evaluated the association between nutritional knowledge, dietary regimen, and excess body weight in primary school teachers.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study that included 151 teachers from two state schools in the eastern region of Lima, Peru. The level of nutritional knowledge was assessed using a validated questionnaire. Dietary regimen was also determined. The body mass index (BMI) was determined through self-reported weight and height. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between possible risk factors with excess body weight among teachers.

Results

Inadequate nutritional knowledge level (AOR = 5.21, 95% CI: 1.31–20.93), being male teachers (AOR = 2.25, 95% CI: 1.13–4.45), and being married (AOR = 2.49, 95% CI: 1.17–5.30) were the significant predictors of excess body weight. In contrast, vegetarian teachers were less likely to have excess body weight (AOR = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.47–0.97).

Conclusion

Future intervention programs should include improving nutritional knowledge with greater attention to male and married teachers to decrease the risk of excess body weight.

Low- and middle-income countries demonstrate rapid growth of type 2 diabetes: an analysis based on Global Burden of Disease 1990-2019 data

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

The study aims to quantify the global trend of the disease burden of type 2 diabetes caused by various risks factors by country income tiers.

METHODS

Data on type 2 diabetes, including mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) during 1990-2019, were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. We analysed mortality and DALY rates and the population attributable fraction (PAF) in various risk factors of type 2 diabetes by country income tiers.

RESULTS

Globally, the age-standardised death rate (ASDR) attributable to type 2 diabetes increased from 16.7 (15.7, 17.5)/100,000 person-years in 1990 to 18.5 (17.2, 19.7)/100,000 person-years in 2019. Similarly, age-standardised DALY rates increased from 628.3 (537.2, 730.9)/100,000 person-years to 801.5 (670.6, 954.4)/100,000 person-years during 1990-2019. Lower-middle-income countries reported the largest increase in the average annual growth of ASDR (1.3%) and an age-standardised DALY rate (1.6%) of type 2 diabetes. The key PAF attributing to type 2 diabetes deaths/DALYs was high BMI in countries of all income tiers. With the exception of BMI, while in low- and lower-middle-income countries, risk factors attributable to type 2 diabetes-related deaths and DALYs are mostly environment-related, the risk factors in high-income countries are mostly lifestyle-related.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

Type 2 diabetes disease burden increased globally, but low- and middle-income countries showed the highest growth rate. A high BMI level remained the key contributing factor in all income tiers, but environmental and lifestyle-related factors contributed differently across income tiers.

DATA AVAILABILITY

To download the data used in these analyses, please visit the Global Health Data Exchange at http://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-2019 .

Overweight and obesity among non-pregnant women of reproductive age in Nigeria: findings from the 2008-2018 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey

OBJECTIVES

Overweight and obesity are known risk factors for diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers and pregnancy-related problems. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and change in prevalence of overweight and obesity among non-pregnant women of reproductive age and relationship with individual- and community-level factors over a decade.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional survey with two-stage probability sampling design.

METHODS

Data sets were pooled from the 2008, 2013 and 2018 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey - a cross-sectional, nationally representative sample of the entire Nigerian population aged 15-49 years. Body mass index (BMI) was used to classify overweight and obesity. Multilevel logistic regression was used to assess associations between overweight (25.0-29.9 kg/m²), obesity (≥30.0 kg/m²) and individual and community factors.

RESULTS

There were 76,729 non-pregnant women (38.0% in 2008, 44.5% in 2013 vs 17.5% in 2018) with a mean age of 29.0 years and a BMI of 23.0 kg/m² across the three survey periods. Overweight and obesity prevalence were 16.0% and 6.2% in 2008, 17.2% and 7.5% in 2013 and 18.1% and 9.9% in 2018, respectively. There was 76% (95% confidence interval: 44% to twofold) increased odds of obesity in 2018 compared with 2008 in adjusted analysis. Older women with at least primary education living in urban areas, ever married and from wealthier households are at a greater odd of being overweight and obese.

CONCLUSION

Over a decade, overweight and obesity prevalence increased among non-pregnant women of reproductive age in Nigeria. There is an urgent need for public health strategies and interventions to improve on deficient knowledge and low awareness about healthy foods and physical activity at individual and community levels especially in urban areas.