Revealed: The top three causes of obesity in Kenyan women

barasa velma

April 24, 2018 10:26 AM

These are the top three causes of obesity and overweight cases among Kenyan women.

A recent study by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed the top three causes of obesity among Kenyan women.

The study, published on Thursday, showed that overweight and obese cases were more prevalent in married women or those living with a partner as compared to single women.

To be more specific, more than a third of women in a marriage were obese while only 18 percent of single women struggled with their weight.

Unsurprisingly birth control drugs were also listed as a major reason for obesity in Kenyan women. These include pills, the intrauterine device, an injection or an implant.

41 percent of women using contraceptives were obese as compared to the 39 percent that used different types of contraceptives and 25 percent that did not use any birth control at all.

Alcohol was the third listed cause of obesity among Kenyan women. This is according to a research done by the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey which found that women who consume alcohol exhibited slightly higher levels of obesity as compared to those that do not.

ALSO READ: How being overweight damages your liver

The number of women in Nairobi were also found to be the most obese at almost 48 percent of women being overweight or obese. Central followed closely by at 47 percent while the Coast region came in third at 32 percent.

This is according to a 2016 report by the Global research firm Euromonitor International.

Furthermore, women that lived in affluent areas were more likely to be obese as compared to women living in other regions.

More than 15,000 women participated in the study, withy one in three women being either overweight or obese.

Source: The Standard