Modeling Impact of Economic Status on Body Mass Index among Women of Reproductive Age in Nigeria: Using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA)

High body mass index has been reported to have several health conditions on indivuals and lowers self-esteem as well as has negative consequences on the cognitive and social development of a person. On a broad view, obesity is a prominent yet preventable cause of death and its prevalence both in children and adults is on the increase. In relation to men, women have a relatively higher burden of disease attributable to overweight and obesity. This study examined the inter-relationship between the socio-economic status and body mass index among women of reproductive age in Nigeria. The study was a cross-sectional design and utilized 2013 Nigeria Demographic Health and Survey dataset. The Nationally representative sample of 38, 948 women in all selected households represented a response rate of 98 % of women. The sample design for the 2013 NDHS provides estimates at the national level, urban-rural areas, for each of the six zones, for each of the 36 states, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Data were analyzed using STATA Software version 12.0. Summary statistics, analysis of variance and analysis of covariance were conducted. p-value of less than0.05 was considered statistically significant. This study clearly revealed that wealth is directly proportional to the BMI of the women of reproductive age in Nigeria. Richest women of reproductive age in Nigeria had highest BMI and vis--vis the poorest women. Age was found to be a significant confounder. This study also interestingly revealed that the women living in the southern regions of Nigeria have significantly higher body mass index values than those living in the Northern part of the country. Although, at the 90th quintile, the south-west was found to have the highest BMI value, the south-south has the highest BMI value on the average with the north-east having the lowest BMI value. There is need to enlighten women of reproductive age specifically of high socio-economic status on the implication of high body mass index and how it relates to health and disease occurrence.