Abstract:
Background: Although it used to be regarded as a problem of industrialized countries,
overweight/obesity is becoming an emerging public health concern in developing countries
in recent years often coexisting with under-nutrition. Ethiopian Demographic and Health
Survey of 2011 reported 15% prevalence of overweight/obesity among urban Ethiopian
women. No other study has been conducted on the matter which left a huge gap in
information regarding the magnitude in specific areas and factors associated.
Objective: To determine the prevalence and associated factors of overweight/obesity
among women in Hawassa city, Southern Ethiopia.
Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted from January to
March 2014 in Hawassa City. - Systematic random sampling technique was employed to
select households from the 7 urban sub-cities. A sample of 552 women of the age 15-49
was picked from the selected households. Data were collected using interviewer
administered questionnaires. Weight and height measurements were also taken. Data
entry, cleaning and analysis were performed using SPSS version 16. Statistical
significance was considered at 5%. Prevalence was determined using descriptive statistics
whereas the strengths of association of factors with odds of being overweight/obese were
analyzed using binary logistic regression.
Results: . One hundred eighty three (34.07%) were either overweight or obese out of
which 141(26.25%) were overweight and 42 (7.82%) were obese. The mean BMI of
participants was 23.99 kg/m2 with standard deviation of 3.72 and the mean age of study
participants was 30.33 with a standard deviation of 7 .03.
Household food expense, frequency of consumption of meat containing meals, riding
motor bicycles and company provided transportation services to go to work and having
given birth were found to be statistically associated with the odds of being
overweight/obese. Deliberate physical exercise was found to be negatively significantly
associated with odds of being overweight/obese.
Conclusion: Overweight/obesity prevails at a much higher level among women in
Hawassa than Ethiopian women residing in other urban settings. Women living in
households with higher food expenditure, those who use automated transportation and