Obesity in Women: An Observational Study in a District Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Overweight and obesity presents a major challenge in women around the world, with mainly associated with epidemiological factors. The study aim was to evaluate Socio-Economic Factors Associated with Obesity in Women >20 Years of Age. Materials and Methods: This was a community based observational study conducted at the Department of Physiology, Dhaka Central International Medical College (DCIMC), and Dhaka, Bangladesh during the period of January 2020 to March 2021. Two hundred participants were selected through a purposive sampling technique as study participants. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22. Results: Among the participants, the majority (32%) was from the age group of 30-39 years. 27.5% were in the age group of 20-29 years, and 21.5% were from the age group of 40-49 years. 55% were Muslim, 41% were Hindu and 4% were Christian. The majority of the participants (86%) were currently married. 75% were modern nuclear families, and 20% were joint families. Over half (51%) of the participants were illiterate. The Mean ± SD weight was 50.34 ± 6.78 in the non-obese group, and 68.85 ± 8.38 in the obese groups. The Mean ± SD BMI was 21.72 ± 2.56 in the non-obese group and 29.85 ± 3.81 in the obese group. The difference between the age groups of participants between the obese and non-obese groups was statistically significant, and the difference in religion and education between the two groups was statistically non-significant. Conclusion: This community-based study was able to understand certain socio-economic factors associated with obesity in adult women.