title: Determinants of overweight or obesity among ever-married adult women in Bangladesh.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing in Bangladesh. It is higher among Bangladeshi women than among men. This study was conducted to assess a host of demographic and socioeconomic correlates of overweight and obesity, separately for the urban and rural women of Bangladesh.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2011. The BDHS provides cross-sectional data on a wide range of indicators relating to population, health, and nutrition. We analyzed nutrition-related data to identify the factors associated with being overweight or obese among ever-married women aged 18-49 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 16,493 women, about 18 % (95 % CI 17 · 80-18 · 99) were overweight or obese. Unemployed urban women were at 1 · 44 (95 % CI 1 · 18-1 · 76, p < 0 · 001) times higher risk of being overweight or obese than those women who were involved in manual-labored work. Watching television at least once a week was another significant predictor among urban women (OR 1 · 49; 95 % CI 1 · 24-1 · 80; p < 0 · 001) and rural women (OR 1 · 31; 95 % CI 1 · 14-1 · 51; p < 0 · 001). Household wealth index and food security were also strongly associated with overweight or obesity of both rural and urban women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of the study indicate that a large number of women in Bangladesh are suffering from being overweight or obese, and multiple factors are responsible for this including, older age, being from wealthy households, higher education, being from food-secured households, watching TV at least once a week, and being an unemployed urban woman. Given the anticipated long-term effects, the factors that are associated with being overweight or obese should be considered while formulating an effective intervention for the women of Bangladesh.
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, icddr,b, Mohakhali, 1212, GPO Box 128, Dhaka 1000 Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Haribondhu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sarma
authors.affiliation: Sulaiman AlRajhi College, Qassim, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Nazmus
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Saquib
authors.affiliation: Research, Learning and Evaluation, Helen Keller International, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Md Mehedi
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Hasan
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Community Medicine, Qassim University, Qassim, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Juliann
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Saquib
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, icddr,b, Mohakhali, 1212, GPO Box 128, Dhaka 1000 Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Ahmed Shafiqur
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, icddr,b, Mohakhali, 1212, GPO Box 128, Dhaka 1000 Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Jahidur Rahman
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Health Systems and Population Studies Division, icddr,b, Mohakhali, 1212 GPO Box 128, Dhaka 1000 Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Md Jasim
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Uddin
authors.affiliation: Division of General Medical Disciplines, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, USA.
authors.forename: Mark R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Cullen
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, icddr,b, Mohakhali, 1212, GPO Box 128, Dhaka 1000 Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Tahmeed
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ahmed
keywords: Bangladesh; Nutritional Status; Obesity; Overweight; Women