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Emerging Obesity Threats among Women in India: Findings from a Population Based Survey
Authors: Praween Agrawal and Sutapa Agrawal
Source: International Journal of Tropical Medicine, 7(5): 177-186, DOI: 10.3923/ijtmed.2012.177.186
Topic(s): Obesity
Women's health
Country: Asia
  India
Published: JUL 2012
Abstract: India which is typically known for high prevalence of under nutrition, significant proportion of overweight and obese people now coexist with those who are under nourished. The present study aims to find out the prevalence of overweight and obesity among married women in India by exploring data from NFHS-2, 1998 to 99. As expected the prevalence of obesity among women is much higher in urban India than in rural India. The range of Mean BMI is also significantly wider which indicates a differential in the nutritional status of women across the states. The prevalence of overweight and obesity also varies with the background characteristics and dietary habits of women. Adverse health outcomes like asthma induced and spontaneous abortion and caesarean birth are positively associated with overweight and obesity condition of married women. Traditional focus on under nutrition among women in India should be expanded to encompass all aspects of malnutrition which includes overweight and obesity.