Prevalence of obesity and overweight in housewives and its relation with household activities and socio-economical status

Background: Overweight and obesity are the most prevalent nutritional disorders in developed and developing countries due to rapid urbanization. Presently, the incidence of overweight, obesity and their related co-morbidities is increasing rapidly in India. Obesity itself is not an acutely lethal disease, but is a significant risk factor associated with a range of serious non-communicable diseases. Obesity is a major player responsible for increasing prevalence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cancer and lipid disorders. Aim: The present study was aimed to evaluate prevalence of obesity in housewives (HWs) and its relation with household activity in Ahmedabad city, India. Participants and Methods: The house-to-house survey or interview-based study was carried out among HWs (n=200) from different areas of Ahmedabad city to evaluate the prevalence of obesity. All study participants were categorized based on their socio-economical status and divided into three groups; Group I as upper middle class (UMC), Group II as middle class (MC) and Group III as lower middle class (LMC). Further, the participants were subcategorized to evaluate age-specific prevalence of overweight and obesity. Overweight and obesity were defined using body mass index criteria recommended by the World Health Organization. Participants were inquired for their daily household activity and physical activity. Results: Prevalence of overweight and obesity in HWs were found higher in MC group compared with UMC and LMC group. Moreover, age specific evaluation of prevalence of overweight and obesity was found to be higher in age group of 30-45 years followed by other age groups (<30 years and 46-60 years). Involvements of HWs in daily household activities were observed to be higher in LMC than in MC and UMC. Conclusion: The results of the present study revealed that the prevalence of overweight and obesity is higher in HWs belonging to MC families, which may be due low household and physical activities. The prevalence of obesity and overweight in HWs is directly proportional to reduced daily household activity and physical in activities.