Risk factors associated with and the consequences of obesity among residents of Tshikota Location in Makhado Municipality, Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

Obesity has been viewed as a serious problem that affects people of all ages, races, ethnicity, and political, religious, social and economic status. It presents a major health challenge worldwide, with an estimated 2 to 3 billion of overweight adults and 700 million of obese individuals. A cross- sectional descriptive research survey using quantitative approach was used to collect data from 318 adults aged 18-45 at Tshikota Location.. Data will be analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. Cross tabulations and the Pearson’s Chi-square test will be used to obtain the associations and strength of relationship between independent and dependent variables. Results: Higher prevalence of obesity (35.5%) and overweight (28.6%) was found among the sampled population. The prevalence of obesity was found to be higher in males (51.3%) than females (46.7%), males also showed high prevalence in overweight (57.1%) than females (42.9%). There was significant different between socioeconomic status, family history and BMI. 75.2% of the participants who are obese was of those participants who do not engage in physical activity. Majority of the participants (63.5%) take meals 3 times a day and they are more likely to be obese, 19.2% of the participants do not skip breakfast. Mode of transport was positive significant to BMI as a sedentary behaviour. Neighbourhoods environment and psychological factors showed negative significant to BMI. Conclusion: The findings of this study found the prevalence of obesity and overweight to be high among residents of Tshikota Location. Males showed higher prevalence of obesity than females, they also showed high prevalence in overweight compared to that of females. Factors contributing to obesity were found to be diverse, they include socio- demographic, lifestyle, behavioral, environment, psychological and family history.