Abstract
This study aimed to examine the trends in the prevalence of overweight and obesity and to determine the associated socioeconomic and household environmental factors among women in Nepal. Using nationally representative data from the 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, and 2016 cross-sectional Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHSs) (n = 33,507), the prevalence of overweight–obesity (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) among women aged 15–49 years were examined. From the latest NDHS 2016, non-pregnant women with recorded anthropometric measurements (n = 6165) were included in the final analyses. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine the socioeconomic and household environmental factors associated with BMI ≥ 25 and BMI ≥ 30. Between 1996 and 2016, the prevalence of overweight–obesity increased from 1.8% to 19.7%, while the prevalence of obesity increased from 0.2% to 4.1%. Age, marital status, wealth index, province of residence, type of cooking fuel, and household possessions—refrigerator and bicycle were significantly associated with having overweight–obesity and obesity. Similarly, educational status, religion, type of toilet facility, and household possessions—television and mobile phone were significantly associated with having overweight–obesity. Given the alarming increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Nepalese women, there is an urgent need for interventions addressing these critical socioeconomic and household environmental factors.
Highlights
Obesity is a global public health issue, with the worldwide obesity rates having tripled in the last four decades and continuously escalating in pandemic proportions [1]
This study is one of the first to comprehensively explore a wide range of socioeconomic and household environmental factors associated with BMI ≥ 25 and BMI ≥ 30 among women in Nepal based on the latest Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHSs) 2016
The study findings suggest that women who were older, married, and with higher wealth index were at increased risk of having both BMI ≥ 25 and BMI ≥ 30, while women with formal education and who practised a religion other than Hinduism were more likely to have BMI ≥ 25
Summary
Obesity is a global public health issue, with the worldwide obesity rates having tripled in the last four decades and continuously escalating in pandemic proportions [1]. The prevalence of overweight and obesity is reported to be higher among women as compared to men across the globe, in both developed and developing countries [1,4]. This trend can be observed in the global prevalence of overweight–obesity (40% women vs 39% men) and obesity (15% women vs 11% men) [2]. Women of reproductive age are even more susceptible to having overweight or obesity, which could be attributed to general weight gain in childbearing years, gestational weight gain and retention, and adverse lifestyle risk factors during pregnancy and in the postpartum period [8]. Identification of the presence of overweight and obesity among women of reproductive age is essential for timely prediction of complications, and such that interventions can be tailored simultaneously
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