Determinants of Overnutrition among Urban Adults in Yangon, Myanmar.

Background Over 1.9 billion adults who are 18 years old and older were overweight and more than 6.5 million adults were said to be obese. In 2014 National Step Survey of Myanmar stated that there were 16.9% and 5.5% of overweight and obesity in adults. Due to altering lifestyle and urbanization, it is important to detect the nutritional status and its most influencing factors among urban adults in Yangon. Objective To assess the determinants of overnutrition among urban adults in Yangon, Myanmar. Method This is a cross-sectional study with a sample of 453 adults aged 18-62 years and structured questionnaires were used. Overweight and obesity were defined according to the WHO classification for Asian adults. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess independent factors associated with overnutrition. Result A total of 453 participants were included for analysis. The prevalence of overnutrition was 49.89% (95% CI, 45.28-54.50). In multivariable analysis, being male (AOR = 3.56, 95% CI = 2.09-6.08, being married/divorced/widowed/ separated (AOR = 2.95, 95% CI = 1.82-4.77), family history of overnutrition (AOR = 6.49, 95% CI = 3.72-11.33, history of DM (AOR = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.11-2.89, consumption of starchy vegetables ≥5 days (AOR = 2.05, 95% CI = 1.27-3.30), not meeting the WHO recommended physical activity (AOR = 3.57, 95% CI = 2.24-5.70), and moderate and low perception (AOR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.21-3.84) were associated with overnutrition. Conclusion We observed high prevalence of overnutrition in this study. Socioeconomic status, health behavior and perception were the factors behind overnutrition. These findings offer important information for establishment of appropriate public health interventions and policies to lessen the burden of overnutrition.