Religion and Weight Status in Nigeria: Analysis from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey
Publication Date: 09/12/2020
Author(s): Omololu Fagunwa.
Volume/Issue: Volume 3 , Issue 7 (2020)
Abstract:
Obesity, the excessive accumulation of fat in the body is a global concern with major health, economic and psychosocial consequences. Nutrition and weight status are important in health and wellbeing. While the effects of undernutrition are well known and are been addressed, data are scarce on the relationship between weight status and religion in African countries. To investigate the relationship between religious affiliation and weight status in the general Nigeria population, dataset from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHS) were quantitatively analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics 22. The analysis shows that religious affiliation, wealth index, age, education and residence type affect the distribution of overweight and obesity among Nigeria women age 20-49 years. Women in southern Nigeria are more overweight and obese compare to those of the northern region. There were more overweight and obese women among Christians (24.3% and 10.7%) than other religions (14.0% and 6.0%) respectively. The prevalence of obesity is increasing in Nigeria. Faith leaders and faith-based organisations may be involved in the strategic plan and implementation plan on obesity and other non-communicable diseases.
Keywords:
Obesity, Religion, Nigeria, Africa, Nutrition, Overweight, Health Promotion, Faith-Base
