Overweight and obesity and its socio-demographic correlates among urban Ethiopian women: evidence from the 2011 EDHS

Abstract

BackgroundEvidences show that the burden of overweight and obesity is increasing in developing countries, particularly among urban women. Despite this worrying trend and the recognition of the emerging problem of chronic diseases in the recently launched Health Sector Transformation Plan of Ethiopia, little efforts are being made to address overweight and obesity. The present study aimed at assessing the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of overweight and obesity among urban women.MethodsThis study was based on the 2011 Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey (EDHS) that used a two-stage stratified cluster sampling technique. A total of 3602 non-pregnant urban reproductive age women were included in the analysis. Simple descriptive, bivariate and multiple logistic regression analysis were employed as appropriate.ResultsThe prevalence of overweight and obesity among urban Ethiopian women was found to be 435 (12.1 %) and 99 (2.8 %), respectively. Urban women in the age groups from 20–29 years [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 2.3 95 % CI: 1.4, 3.9], 30–39 years (AOR = 5.0 95 % CI: 2.9, 8.8) and 40–49 years (AOR = 9.8 95 % CI: 5.1, 13.8) were significantly more likely to have overweight and obesity compared to the youngest age group (15 to 19 years). The odds of being overweight and obese was significantly higher among women in the richest quintile (AOR = 1.8 95 % CI: 1.1, 2.5), those with secondary and above education (AOR = 2.0 95 % CI: (1.3, 3.1) and married women (AOR = 2.0 95 % CI: (1.2, 3.3).ConclusionsThe prevalence of overweight and obesity was found to be higher in urban women compared to the national average. Being married, older, belonging to the richest quintile, living in the three metropolises (Addis Ababa, Harari and Dire Dawa), and with secondary and above educational level are independent predictors of overweight and obesity. Programs that target on older, educated and well to do women, and those living in the big cities are expected to cope with this substantial public health concern.

Socio-demographic factors associated with normal linear growth among pre-school children living in better-off households: A multi-country analysis of nationally representative data

“…Although a higher maternal weight has a positive effect on child healthy growth, interventions should target increasing maternal weight qualitatively for the benefit of both the mother and child. It is critical because of the negative effect of unhealthy weight on maternal health outcomes [51][52][53]. These findings are in line with the literature.…”

Ethiopian Orthodox Fasting and Lactating Mothers: Longitudinal Study on Dietary Pattern and Nutritional Status in Rural Tigray, Ethiopia

“…In urban women, it was reported (6.2–25.3%) in Ethiopia, Bengal district in India (5.4%), and Nepal (6.3–24.8%) [44,47,48,49,50,51,52]. This might be because we attributed this finding to rural people [10], where most could engage in heavy physical activities and walking over long distances to access services due to the mountainous topography [53,54].…”

Trends and factors associated with complementary feeding practices in Ethiopia from 2005 to 2016

“…Community‐level factors included place of residence (grouped as urban or rural) and region of residence (grouped as large central, small peripheral, and metropolis regions) based on their geopolitical features (Abrha, Shiferaw, & Ahmed, ; Ahmed et al, ). The large central region included Tigray, Amhara, Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Region, and Oromia regions, and the small peripheral region included Afar, Somali, Benishangul, and Gambella regions.…”