Prevalence of Underweight, Overweight, and Obesity Among Reproductive-Age Women and Adolescent Girls in Rural China

Background. Studies in developed countries have revealed an association of different magnitudes between watching television and the risk of being overweight and obese among reproductive age women. Even so, there is no evidence of such an association in the context of the Ethiopian population. Hence, the study aimed to assess the association between watching television with overweight and obesity in a nationally representative sample of Ethiopian women. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted by using secondary data analysis from 2016 Ethiopia demographic and health survey among women aged from 15 to 49 years. The samples were selected using a two-stage stratified cluster sampling technique. A total of 10,074 women were included in the analysis. The outcome variables were both overweight and obesity, whereas the main exposure variable was the frequency of watching television. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed for adjusting potential confounders. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals was used to declare a statistically significant association. Results. The study found that watching television at least once a week was significantly associated with both overweight (AOR: 1.79; 95% CI: 1.20–2.73) and obesity (AOR: 3.76; 95% CI: 2.04–6.95). The study also divulged that the odds of overweight were higher among women aged 25–39 years (AOR: 2.17; 95% CI: 1.25–3.77) and 40–49 years (AOR: 2.69; 95% CI: 1.45–5.00), urban residents (AOR: 1.76; 95% CI:1.17–2.65), attended higher education (AOR:2.11; 95% CI: 1.22–3.65), and richest in the wealth index (AOR: 2.83; 95% CI:1.71–4.68). Similarly, the odds of obesity were higher among women aged 25–39 years and 40–49 years, attended higher education, and the richest in wealth index. Conclusions. The results from this study demonstrated that watching television at least once a week is associated with obesity among reproductive age women in Ethiopia. Therefore, a social behavioral change communication campaign needs to be taken to improve awareness regarding the harmful consequences of watching television for long hours. Further research studies should be conducted among men and adolescents to determine whether this positive association exists among that target population as well.

Download Full-text

Reference Range and Sociodemographic Characteristics of TSH among Reproductive Age Women in Rural China

Biological Trace Element Research ◽

10.1007/s12011-018-1480-1 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 189 (2) ◽

pp. 336-343 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Qiang Su ◽

Shikun Zhang ◽

Mei Hu ◽

Qiaomei Wang ◽

Na Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Reference Range ◽

Rural China ◽

Reproductive Age ◽

Sociodemographic Characteristics ◽

Reproductive Age Women

Download Full-text

Nationally representative surveys show gradual shifting of overweight and obesity towards poor and less-educated women of reproductive age in Nepal

Journal of Biosocial Science ◽

10.1017/s0021932020000152 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-19

Author(s):

Ipsita Sutradhar ◽

Tahmina Akter ◽

Mehedi Hasan ◽

Rajat Das Gupta ◽

Hemraj Joshi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Birth Outcome ◽

Wealth Index ◽

Educational Status ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Reproductive Age ◽

Demographic And Health Surveys ◽

Women Of Reproductive Age ◽

Reproductive Age Women ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

The Government

Abstract Overweight and obesity are considered major public health concerns all over the world. They have the potential to increase the risk of developing non-communicable diseases in reproductive age women, increasing their risk of pregnancy related complications and adverse birth outcome. This study was carried out to identify the trend of prevalence of overweight and obesity, along with their determinants, among reproductive age women (15–49 years) in Nepal. Data were taken from the nationally representative 2006, 2011 and 2016 Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHSs). Women were considered to be overweight or obese when their BMI was 23.0–27.5 kg/m2 or ≥27.5 kg/m2, respectively. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed, with significance taken at p<0.05. The prevalences of overweight and obesity both showed rising trends in women of reproductive age in Nepal from 2006 to 2016, particularly among those with no education, only primary education and poor women. The presence of overweight and obesity was found to be significantly associated with the sample women’s age, educational status, wealth index, place of residence, ecological zone, developmental region, number of household members, marital status and ethnicity. In 2016 one in every three women of reproductive age in Nepal was either overweight or obese. As overweight and obesity have detrimental effects on women’s health, the Government of Nepal, in collaboration with other government and non-government organizations, should take action to halt the rising trends in overweight and obesity in the country.

Download Full-text

The Relationship of Diet and Physical Activity with Weight Gain and Weight Gain Prevention in Women of Reproductive Age

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10112485 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 2485

Author(s):

Mamaru Ayenew Awoke ◽

Helen Skouteris ◽

Maureen Makama ◽

Cheryce L. Harrison ◽

Thomas Philip Wycherley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Weight Gain ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Reproductive Age ◽

Weight Gain Prevention ◽

Life Stages ◽

Reproductive Age Women ◽

Pregnancy And Postpartum ◽

Diet And Physical Activity ◽

Reproductive Life

Reproductive-age women often see increased weight gain, which carries an increased risk of long-term overweight and obesity and adverse maternal and child health outcomes. Supporting women to achieve optimal weight through lifestyle modification (diet and physical activity) is of critical importance to reduce weight gain across key reproductive life-stages (preconception, pregnancy and postpartum). This review comprehensively summarizes the current state of knowledge on the contribution of diet and physical activity to weight gain and weight gain prevention in reproductive-aged women. Suboptimal diets including a higher proportion of discretionary choices or energy intake from fats, added sugars, sweets or processed foods are associated with higher weight gain, whereas increased consumption of core foods including fruits, vegetables and whole grains and engaging in regular physical activity are associated with reduced weight gain in reproductive age women. Diet and physical activity contributing to excessive gestational weight gain are well documented. However, there is limited research assessing diet and physical activity components associated with weight gain during the preconception and postpartum period. This review highlights the need for further research to identify key dietary and physical activity components targeting the critical windows of reproductive life-stages in women to best guide interventions to prevent weight gain.

Download Full-text

Socio-economic and ethnic disparities of malnutrition in all its forms in Guatemala

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980019002738 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 23 (S1) ◽

pp. s68-s76 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mónica Mazariegos ◽

María F Kroker-Lobos ◽

Manuel Ramírez-Zea

Keyword(s):

Short Stature ◽

Adolescent Girls ◽

Low Income ◽

Educational Level ◽

Indigenous Population ◽

Age Groups ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Reproductive Age ◽

Indigenous Populations

AbstractObjective:To analyse disparities of malnutrition in all its forms by socio-economic indicators in children aged <5 years, adolescent girls and women of reproductive age (WRA).Design:We defined wasting/underweight, stunting/short stature, overweight and obesity following the WHO criteria for children aged <5 years, adolescents and WRA. We evaluated the prevalence of malnutrition by wealth status, education level and ethnicity (indigenous/non-indigenous).Setting:Guatemalan 2014–2015 National Maternal and Child Health Survey.Participants:Children aged <5 years (n 11 962), adolescent girls aged 15–19 years (n 1086) and WRA aged 20–49 years (n 11 354).Results:Stunting/short stature prevalence among children, adolescents and WRA was 2·8, 2·1 and 2·0 times higher in the poorest compared with the richest; 2·9, 2·9 and 2·1 times higher in the lower educational level than in the highest; and 1·7, 1·7 and 1·6 times higher in the indigenous than in the non-indigenous population. In contrast, overweight/obesity prevalence among children, adolescents and WRA was 1·6, 2·1 and 1·8 times higher in the richest compared with the poorest; 1·6, 1·3 and 1·3 times higher in the higher educational level than in the lowest; and 1·3, 1·7 and 1·3 times higher in the non-indigenous than in the indigenous population.Conclusions:Stunting/short stature is more prevalent among low-income, low-education and indigenous populations in all age groups. In contrast, overweight/obesity is more prevalent in high-income, high-education and non-indigenous populations in all age groups. These outcomes demonstrate socio-economic and ethnic disparities for malnutrition in all its forms.

Download Full-text