Gender Differentials in the Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in India

Introduction: With global gender disparities in the prevalence of overweight and obesity, the majority of the studies do not explain why these gender disparities exist. Physical activity, cultural values, biological factors (such as menopause), and urbanization have been the most common explanations regarding gender disparities in overweight and obesity. However, rarely have studies gone beyond general explanations. Aims: In this study, an attempt has been made to assess the differentials and determinants of gender gap in the prevalence of overweight/obesity in India and across its states by different socioeconomic and demographic factors. Data and Methods: National Family Health Survey 2015-16 data and NFHS -3 (2005-06) data of 15-49 years old women and 15-54 years old men, were utilized to analyze gender gap in the recent scenario and over the time. Results and Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight/ obesity has increased significantly among men and women. At the same time, the difference in the prevalence of overweight/ obesity among men and women has declined over time. Earlier, women were predominantly more overweight/obese compared to men; however, overweight/ obesity prevalence has increased more swiftly among men than among women in the last decade.A rapid increase was observed in the prevalence of overweight/ obesity among men in the younger adult age groups. Irrespective of age, the gender gap in overweight/ obesity rose with education. The gender gap was also the highest among the castes other than SCs and STs. Muslims were found to have a higher gender gap compared to Hindus and others. Wealth quintiles had a positive relationship with the gender gap. The gender gap in the prevalence of overweight/ obesity prevalence increased among respondents of the richest wealth quintile. The pattern of higher gender gap in overweight and obesity was also observed among people who were working, living in nuclear families and living in low fertility states in both urban and rural areas. we found that food habits do not reflect any consistent pattern of the risk of overweight/ obesity among men and women, which may be due to complex and non-uniform food patterns across the Indian states.