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conferenceseries
.com
Volume 8
Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences
ISSN: 2155-9600
Nutri-Food Chemistry
&
Euro Obesity 2018
September 13-15, 2018
JOINT EVENT
September 13-15, 2018 | London, UK
14
th
Euro
Obesity and Endocrinology Congress
&
17
th
World Congress on
Nutrition and Food Chemistry
Attitudes and practices of overweight and obese women towards weight reduction in World Bank
area of Owerri West Local Government area, Imo State, Nigeria
Evangeline Oparaocha
Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), Nigeria
O
besity is fast becoming a public health issue not only in developed countries but in developing countries like Nigeria
because of the associated health problems. While affluent countries are fighting hard to reduce the incidence, developing
countries are being crippled by false beliefs and ignorance of majority of the affected. A randomized survey was carried out
in the World Bank area of Owerri West Local Government area, Imo State, Nigeria to determine the attitudes and practices
of overweight and obese women of child bearing age with different marital status and academic background towards weight
reduction, between November and December 2017. Body mass index (BMI) was utilized to categorize 60 (8.6%) of the total
700 women who gave their consent for the study as either overweight or obese. Of the selected 60 women, 12 (20%) were obese
while the rest 58 (80%) were overweight, eight (13.3%) were single, while 52 (86.7%) were married and all 60 (100%) had either
secondary or tertiary education. Data collected further revealed that only 10 (166.6%) would want weight reduction and the
desire for weight reduction was significantly (P<0.05) dependent on marital status, as seven (70%) of those who wanted weight
reduction were single ladies, while two (20%) who were married had no issues and only one (10%) wanted to reduce her weight
because she saw obesity as a health risk. On the other hand, 10 (17.2%) of the overweight claimed they love their weight, five
(0.9%), said they need the weight as long as child bearing lasts, while the rest did not see anything wrong with their weight.
Of all, only six (10%) did some physical exercises to reduce weight, and four (0.7%) reduced consumption of energy dense
food. Other 50(88.3%), claimed that they had no time for exercises and do not need them, while a few said that they already
have much stress in their jobs. Educational level was found to have no significant (P>0.05) influence on either the attitude or
practice towards weight reduction of overweight and obese women in this study. The need for more public enlightenment and
health education in the area is highlighted.
tochievan@yahoo.comJ Nutr Food Sci 2018, Volume 8
DOI: 10.4172/2155-9600-C7-072