Obesity and Reproductive Health among Indian Women

Background: While obesity has been widely discussed in the context of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, far less attention has been focused on the reproductive issues in India. In this study we examined the association between obesity and reproductive health problems among adult women in Delhi, India. Study Design: A follow-up survey of 325 women of Delhi in 2003 who were included in India’s Second National Family Health Survey (NFHS-2,1998-99) were included for this study. Information on women’s self reported reproductive health status including menstrual length, menstrual regularity and menstrual problems were collected through a structured interview schedule. Standing height and weight of each woman was also measured to compute BMI (Body Mass Index). The association between obesity and reproductive health problems is estimated using binary logistic regression models after adjusting for potential confounders.