Prevalence and Associated Factors of Overweight and Obesity in Reproductive Women of a Municipality in Western Nepal

Introduction: Overweight and obesity are major health-related problems causing an economic burden on societies around the world. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity and to determine the associated factors among reproductive women in a municipality in western Nepal. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was performed and data was collected by convenience sampling method including 353 women aged 15-45 years. Chi-Square test was used to assess the factors associated with overweight and obesity. The odds ratio was computed using binary logistic regression analysis. Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 55% . Age (p < 0.001), education (p = 0.02), occupation (p = 0.012), marital status (p = 0.008), presence of chronic disease (p < 0.001), dietary pattern (p = 0.01), restaurant visit (p = 0.002) and stress (p = 0.003) were significant associated factors for overweight including obesity. The odds of being overweight or obesity was higher but not statistically significant in women aged 25-35 years (OR = 2.57 ; 95% CI: 0.89-7.4, p = 0.082), in married women (OR = 1.54; 95% CI: 1.08-2.02), and in parous women (OR = 2.38; 95 % CI: 4.05-27.57). The odds of being overweight or obese were significantly higher in the respondents who had no chronic disease (OR = 6.81, 95% CI: 2.10-10.16). Conclusion: We observed a high prevalence of overweight and obesity in our sample. Age, education, occupation, marital status, presence of chronic disease, dietary pattern, restaurant visits, and stress were associated with overweight or obesity.