Trends and social determinants of the obesity epidemic among reproductive-age women in ten Asian countries.

Sep 30, 2024

Experts: Subash Thapa,Kedir Y Ahmed,Habtamu Mellie Bizuayehu,M Mamun Huda,Binaya Chalise,Meless G Bore,Sewunet Admasu Belachew,Tahir A Hassen,Erkihun Amsalu,Desalegn Markos Shifti,Abdulbasit Seid,Yonatan M Mesfin,Teketo Kassaw Tegegne,Abel F Dadi,Daniel Bogale Odo,Getiye Dejenu Kibret,Daniel Bekele Ketema,Zemenu Yohannes Kassa,Anayochukwu E Anyasodor,Shakeel Mahmood,Feleke Hailemichael Astawesegn,Allen G Ross

The rapid epidemiological transition in Asian countries, resulting from the rising trend of urbanisation and lifestyle changes, is associated with an increasing risk of obesity in women of reproductive age. This is the first study to investigate the trends and population-attributable fraction (PAF) of obesity, and the interaction effects of education and wealth on obesity among reproductive-age women aged 15-49 years in ten Asian countries. This cross-sectional study examined the most recent (2000 to 2022) Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data from ten Central and Southeast Asian countries. Multilevel multinomial logistic regression models were used to compute odds ratios (ORs). PAFs adjusted for communality were calculated using adjusted ORs and prevalence estimates for each risk factor. This study included a weighted sample of 743,494 reproductive-age women. All the countries showed an increasing trend for obesity and a decreasing trend for underweight, except for the Maldives. The highest PAFs of obesity were associated with women who were married (PAF = 22.2%; 95% CI 22.1, 22.4), aged 35-49 years (PAF = 16.4%; 95% CI 15.5, 17.1), resided in wealthy households (PAF = 14.5%; 95% CI 14.4, 14.5), watched television regularly (PAF = 12.5%; 95% CI 12.1, 12.8), and lived in urban areas (PAF = 7.8%; 95% CI 7.7, 8.0). The combined PAF showed that these five risk factors were associated with 73.3% (95% CI 71.8, 74.9) of obesity among reproductive-age women. Interaction analysis between women’s education and household wealth revealed that having a secondary or higher level of education and residing in a wealthier household was associated with a lower risk of obesity (OR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.66, 0.76). The findings of this study suggest that, in order to address the rising rate of obesity among women in Asian countries, education and lifestyle modifications in urban areas should be a priority. Pakistan and the Maldives need to be a priority given the rapidly increasing trends in obesity and underweight subpopulations in their respective countries.
© 2024. The Author(s).

Author

admin

View all posts

ABOUT THE EXPERTS

Subash Thapa,Kedir Y Ahmed,Habtamu Mellie Bizuayehu,M Mamun Huda,Binaya Chalise,Meless G Bore,Sewunet Admasu Belachew,Tahir A Hassen,Erkihun Amsalu,Desalegn Markos Shifti,Abdulbasit Seid,Yonatan M Mesfin,Teketo Kassaw Tegegne,Abel F Dadi,Daniel Bogale Odo,Getiye Dejenu Kibret,Daniel Bekele Ketema,Zemenu Yohannes Kassa,Anayochukwu E Anyasodor,Shakeel Mahmood,Feleke Hailemichael Astawesegn,Allen G Ross

Subash Thapa

Rural Health Research Institute, Charles Sturt University, Orange, NSW, 2800, Australia. suthapa@csu.edu.au.

Health and Development Society Nepal, Lalitpur, Nepal. suthapa@csu.edu.au.

Kedir Y Ahmed

Rural Health Research Institute, Charles Sturt University, Orange, NSW, 2800, Australia.

Habtamu Mellie Bizuayehu

The First Nations Cancer and Wellbeing Research (FNCWR) Program, School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia.

M Mamun Huda

Rural Health Research Institute, Charles Sturt University, Orange, NSW, 2800, Australia.

Binaya Chalise

Health and Development Society Nepal, Lalitpur, Nepal.

Meless G Bore

School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

School of Nursing, College of Medicine and Health Science, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia.

Sewunet Admasu Belachew

The First Nations Cancer and Wellbeing Research (FNCWR) Program, School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia.

Tahir A Hassen

Center for Women’s Health Research, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.

Erkihun Amsalu

Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

St. Paul Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Desalegn Markos Shifti

Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia.

Abdulbasit Seid

School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Clayton, Australia.

Yonatan M Mesfin

Infection, Immunity, & Global Health, Asia-Pacific Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), Parkville, VIC, Australia.

Teketo Kassaw Tegegne

Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.

Abel F Dadi

Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, Australia.

Addis Continental Institute of Public Health, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Daniel Bogale Odo

National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research, National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.

Getiye Dejenu Kibret

School of Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia.

Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.

Daniel Bekele Ketema

The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia.

School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Science, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia.

Zemenu Yohannes Kassa

College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia.

Anayochukwu E Anyasodor

Rural Health Research Institute, Charles Sturt University, Orange, NSW, 2800, Australia.

Shakeel Mahmood

Rural Health Research Institute, Charles Sturt University, Orange, NSW, 2800, Australia.

Feleke Hailemichael Astawesegn

Rural Health Research Institute, Charles Sturt University, Orange, NSW, 2800, Australia.

Allen G Ross

Rural Health Research Institute, Charles Sturt University, Orange, NSW, 2800, Australia.