Awareness of obesity and its health hazard among women in a University Community

Two hundred and thirty six women between the ages of 25 and 59 were contacted within Obafemi Awolowo University Community Ile-Ife, to assess their levels of awareness on the benefits and hazards of obesity. The study also attempted to classify the degree of obesity among the respondents by employing Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist-Hip-Ratio (WHR) techniques. Of the 236 respondents, 76.7% were grouped under low level of awareness on the health hazards of obesity. The levels of awareness on obesity by educational background and occupation of respondents were significantly related at P-value = 0.0003, and P-value = 0.0004 respectively. WHR technique significantly identified more respondents to be overweight and severely obese than BMI technique, P-value = 0.0000. As the age increased, the degree of obesity increased, P-value = 0.001. Respect and evidence of good living were two major reasons advanced as some of the perception of being obese. Health workers should receive training in the simple techniques of identifying, monitoring the degree of obesity and mounting intensive mass campaign on health hazards of obesity. The impact of primary health care services on the prevention of non communicable chronic diseases in the new millennium may continue to be unsatisfactory. Particularly in the developing countries where excess body weight is culturally accepted. There is a dire need to establish a health nutritional program for the control and prevention of obesity focusing on limitation of excessive energy intake from any source. © Asian Network for Scientific Information, 2007.