Prevalence of overweight and associated factors in women in reproductive age in Northeast Brazil

Objective To determine the prevalence of overweight and its associated factors in women of childbearing age from the city of Vitoria de Santo Antao, Pernanbuco. Method This cross-sectional study with 322 women was conducted between the months of January and April 2013, by door-to-door active case finding. The nutritional status of individuals aged more than 18 years was classified according to the body mass index, and of adolescents, according to the body mass index-for-age. The dependent variable was overweight (overweight/obesity), and the associated factors (independent variables) were: socioeconomic and demographic characteristics (age, education level, literacy status, employment status, socioeconomic class, food security, number of household dwellers, basic sanitation, floor, roof, and number of rooms and bedrooms), behavioral characteristics (physical activity), and reproductive history (age at menarche, number of pregnancies, and contraceptive method). Poisson regression analyzed the factors associated with excess weight. Results The prevalence of overweight was 60.9%. The regression model showed that age (20-39 years: prevalence ratio 1.84; 95% confidence interval 1.04-3.24; >= 40 years: prevalence ratio 2.20; 95% confidence interval 1.18-4.08) and age at menarche (<= 13 years: prevalence ratio 1.37; 95% confidence interval 1.03-1.82) were associated with excess weight. Conclusion The prevalence of overweight accounted for nearly two-thirds of the study sample and was associated with higher age and lower age at menarche, consistent with other studies.