Overweight and obesity are prevalent among female adults in selected areas in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

BackgroundThere is a rise in overweight and obesity in Africa. In Nigeria, there are increasing changes in lifestyle and associated increases in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases. This study aimed at determining the prevalence of overweight and obesity, lifestyle practices, and food consumption practices among female adults in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, using convenience sampling technique, an interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain data from respondents. Descriptive statistics was used to obtain frequencies and percentages for categorical variables and chi-square test was used to determine association between variables at p <0.05. ResultsAmong 300 respondents, The mean age was 49.8 ± 4.7 years in Felele and 50.3 ± 4.7 years in Oje. A majority of the respondents from Felele and Oje had active leisure time pursuit (96.7% and 89.3% respectively) with 70.7% and 86.0% engaging in daily physical activity respectively. Lunch (Felele– 12.0% and Oje– 22.0%) was the most skipped meal with reasons such as weight reduction (10.7%) in Felele and lack of money (20.0%) in Oje. Alcoholic drinks were the least consumed in both locations (Felele– 84.8% and Oje– 76.3%) while meat, poultry, and allied products were the most consumed food group in both Felele (51.2%) and Oje (39.7%). The prevalence of overweight and obesity among female adults was 88.0% and 66.0% respectively majority of whom were aged 45–50yrs in Felele and 51–55yrs in Oje. ConclusionsFindings highlight high prevalence of overweight and obesity among the female population. Therefore, intentional and targeted interventions among this population are needed.