Abstract
Objectives
To investigate risk factors for women with obesity of childbearing age.
Methods
A cross-sectional survey of New Zealand women (15–49 years) with measured height and weight was used [unweighted (n = 3625) and weighted analytical sample (n = 1,098,372)] alongside sociodemographic-, behavioural- and environmental-level predictors. Multilevel logistic regression weighted for non-response of height and weight data was used.
Results
Meeting physical activity guidelines (AOR (adjusted odds ratio) 0.66, 95% CI 0.54–0.80), Asian (AOR 0.15, 95% CI 0.10–0.23) and European/other ethnicity (AOR 0.46, 95% CI 0.36–0.58) and an increased availability of public greenspace (Q4 AOR 0.55, 95% CI 0.41–0.75) were related to decreased obesity risk. Older age (45–49 years AOR 3.01, 95% CI 2.17–4.16), Pacific ethnicity (AOR 2.81, 95% CI 1.87–4.22), residing in deprived areas (AOR 1.65, 95% CI 1.16–2.35) or secondary urban areas (AOR 1.49, 95% CI 1.03–2.18) were related to increased obesity risk. When examined by rural/urban classification, private greenspace was only related to increased obesity risk in main urban areas.
Conclusions
This study highlights factors including but not limited to public greenspace, which inform obesity interventions for women of childbearing age in New Zealand.
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Acknowledgements
This research was carried out as part of the GeoHealth Laboratory work programme at the University of Canterbury, funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Health. The authors thank the participants of the 2016/17 New Zealand Health Survey. Access to the data used in this study was provided by the New Zealand Ministry of Health under conditions designed to keep individual information confidential and secure in accordance with requirements of the Health Information Privacy Code 1994 and the Privacy Act 1993.
Funding
This research was carried out as part of the GeoHealth Laboratory work programme at the University of Canterbury, funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Health.
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Hobbs, M., Tomintz, M., McCarthy, J. et al. Obesity risk in women of childbearing age in New Zealand: a nationally representative cross-sectional study. Int J Public Health 64, 625–635 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-019-01239-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-019-01239-8