Prevalence and Determinants of Double Burden of Malnutrition (DBM) among women in Pakistan: a population based study

Abstract

Background: Double Burden of Malnutrition(DBM) exist among women in Pakistan and increasing every single day as an emergent public health issue. The prevalence of underweight and overweight/obesity differs based on the lifestyle and region but increasing due to lack of awareness among women. Objective: This study objective was to assess the prevalence and determinants of DBM among women in Pakistan. Methods: The survey was conducted from women of reproductive age 15-49 and population of 15,068 household divided into 16 cluster from 4 states of Pakistan including Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtun Khwah and other regions including Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Islamabad Capital Territory, Gilgit Baltistan. Systematic random sampling was used to select the household and participants. IBM SPSS 21 was used to analyze the dataset and find the prevalence of DBM among women in Pakistan. Result: Underweight and overweight/ obesity coexists with higher rate of overweight among the women in Pakistan. Overall prevalence of women underweight 7.49% and overweight 31.68%. Women underweight associated with younger age group, education status, place of residence, wealth index and state. On the other hand older age group 45-49 years [OR: 6.52, 95% CI: 4.27- 9.96], richest wealth index [OR: 5.90, 95% CI: 4.24-8.20%] and `Fata state [OR: 2.14. 95% CI: 1.52-3.02]. Conclusion: The study found coexistence of DBM among Pakistan population especially women of reproductive age which is increasing as emergent public health issue and requires some public health interventions. To prevent the increasing rate of DBM, the community based interventions are required to educate women about the DBM and spread awareness about the impact of DBM on women and their children.