Obesity has increasingly become a public health problem in both
developed and developing countries. In Ghana, the prevalence of obesity
has been found to be high particularly among women. The rising trend of
obesity in Ghana is worrying as studies have shown an increased risk of
morbidity, disability and mortality associated with obesity. This study
examined the prevalence of obesity among Ghanaian teachers of
child-bearing age. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 400 female
teachers between the ages of 18 and 49 years from two sub-metropolitan
areas in Accra District, Ghana. A questionnaire was used to gather
information on the socioeconomic status, body mass index (BMI),
waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), alcohol intake, physical activity and food
intake. Appropriate statistical methods were used to determine the
association between variables. The mean age, BMI and WHR were 35.9
± 8.2 years, 27.2±5.3 kgm-2 and 0.79±0.07 respectively.
About 34% of the women were overweight while 27% were found to be obese
with 17.8% centrally-obese. The WHR ratio, however, classified majority
(57%) of the women as low risk. There was a strong positive correlation
between BMI and WHR with age. This means that as women aged, both BMI
and WHR increased. The prevalence of obesity for a woman above 35 years
was about four times higher than the prevalence among the younger age
group (<25years) and two times higher than that of the middle age
group (26-35 years). This study found that at any age group
underweight, overweight and obesity co-existed. Socioeconomic variables
such as marital status, income and parity showed a positive association
with BMI and waist circumference. Consumption of fruits and vegetables
was observed to be low among respondents. This study recommends that
measures such as healthy eating guidelines supported by vigorous
physical activities should be put in place in schools to help teachers
maintain healthy body weights (BMI 19-25) in order to prevent the risk
of obesity and its related life threatening effects
