Original Research Article
Year: 2020 | Month: July-September | Volume: 5 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 281-285
Prevalence of Obesity among Women Aged 20 to 50 Years in Selected Rural Areas of Vellore, South India
Baby Saroja1, Vatsala Sadan2, Grace Rebekah3
1Professor, College of Nursing, Christian Medical College, Vellore – 632004, Tamil Nadu, India.
2Professor & Dean, College of Nursing, Christian Medical College, Vellore – 632004, Tamil Nadu, India.
3Ph.D. Tutor, Biostatistics Dept. Christian Medical College, Vellore – 632004, Tamil Nadu, India.
Corresponding Author: Baby Saroja
ABSTRACT
Background: Obesity is one of the modern day epidemics that play a significant role in causing poor health, negatively affecting quality of life and shortening the quantity of life. Obesity is increasing in the rural areas also due the changing lifestyle patterns and dietary habits especially among the women.
Methods: The primary Investigator carried out a house to house survey assessing for ideal body weight among women aged20 to 50 years,who were available at the time of survey and willing to participate in the study in four villages. She measured their height and weight using a standard measuring tape and an adult weighing scale. She assessed a total of 639 women and classified them according to their weight based on WHO and Asian BMI cutoffs.
Results: Among 639 women surveyed, about one-fourth (23.7%) of the participants were in age group of 15-24 years and 67.2% participants were literate. One-third (30%) of the women were overweight. Obesity was present in 14% of the study participants (26% by Asian cut-offs).
Conclusions: The prevalence of obesity in rural areas was high comparing to the previous studies in the same areas. The study suggests that, there is an urgent need to implement population focused, community based programs to tackle the ever increasing problem of obesity. Nurses as public health workers have a key role in the prevention and management of overweight and obesity.
Keywords: Overweight, Obesity, BMI. Prevalence.