Prevalence of Obesity Among Women in Kenya by County

Overweight and obesity are indicators of a population's health and nutritional status. They are measured using the Body Mass Index (BMI), which is assessed based on a person's weight and height.

BMI is defined as the body mass divided by the square of the person’s body height. You have a normal weight if your BMI ranges from 18.5 to 24.9, and you are overweight if your BMI ranges between 25 and 29.9. A BMI greater than or equal to 30 implies you are obese.^[1]

The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey provides essential data on the nutritional status of children and adults and includes information on overweight and obese women in the country.^[2]

Obesity in Kenya is higher in women than in men.

In 2022, the survey found that 44.8% of women aged 20 – 49 years had a BMI equal to or above 25, meaning they were either overweight or obese. Of these women, 27.5% were overweight and had a BMI between 25 and 29.9, while 17.3% were obese and had a BMI above 30.

Stacked bar chart showing the prevalence of obesity and overweight in Kenya. Women had an obesity rate of 17.3% while men had a rate of 4.2%. The prevalence of overweight in women was 27.5% and men 14.6%.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity in men aged 20 – 29 was lower, with 18.8% having a BMI equal to or above 25. Of these men, 14.6% were overweight with a BMI between 25 and 29.9, and 4.2% were obese with a BMI above or equal to 30.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity is higher in urban than rural areas.

52.9% of women living in urban areas were overweight or obese compared to 38.7% of those living in rural areas.

In urban areas, 30.6% of the women had a BMI between 25 and 29.9, while 22.3% had a BMI equal to or above 30. In rural areas, 25.3% of women had a BMI between 25 and 29.9, while 13.4% had a BMI equal to or above 30.

A stacked bar chart showing the prevalence of obesity and overweight in rural and urban areas in Kenya. In rural areas 13.4% of women were obese while 25.3% were overweight. In urban areas 22.3% of women were obese while 30.6% were overweight.

Rahma Mkuu and colleagues attribute a higher prevalence of overweight and obese women in urban areas to increased consumption of high-calorie and high-fat diets.^[3]

Overweight and obesity in Kenyan women increase with increasing educational attainment.

Women who had higher levels of education in Kenya had a higher prevalence of obesity than those without education. For instance, 26.2% of women without education had a BMI equal to or above 25, compared to 49.7% of women with more than secondary education.

Stacked bar chart showing the prevalence of obesity in Kenyan women by their level of education. Obesity increases with increasing education attainment. 19.1% of women with a more than secondary education were obese compared to 9.4% of women with no education.

Among those with no education, 16.8% were overweight with a BMI between 25 and 29, while 9.4% were obese with a BMI equal to or above 30.

On the other hand, 30.6% of women with more than secondary education were overweight, with a BMI between 25 and 29, while 19.1% were obese, with a BMI equal to or above 30.

Overweight and obesity in Kenyan women increases with increasing wealth

The data shows that 60% of women in the highest wealth quintile were overweight or obese compared to 19.4% of women in the lowest wealth level. Among the wealthiest, 33% had a BMI between 25 and 29.9, while 27% had a BMI equal to or above 30.

A stacked bar chart showing the prevalence of obesity in Kenya by the wealth level of respondents. Obesity increased with increasing wealth. 27% of women in the highest wealth quintile were obese compared to 4.6 in the lowest.

On the other hand, 14.9% of women in the lowest wealth quintile had a BMI between 25 and 29.9, while 4.6% had a BMI equal to or above 30.

Access to high-calorie and high-fat diets possibly explains the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity with increasing socioeconomic status.^[3]

Older women in Kenya were more likely to be obese.

Looking at women in different age groups, we see that older women had a higher prevalence of obesity than younger women. For instance, among women aged 40 – 49, the prevalence of obesity was 24.7%, compared to 8.8% in women aged 20 – 29 years.

Stacked bar chart showing the prevalence of obesity and overweight among women in Kenya by age group. Obesity was prevalent among older women with 24.7% of those aged 40 - 49 being obese compared to 8.8% of those aged 20 - 29.

Obesity in Kenya varies by county and was highest in Kirinyaga, Nyeri, and Murang’a.

The percentage of women in Kirinyaga County who had a BMI above or equal to 30 was 29.3%. In Nyeri, the prevalence of obesity in women was 28.1%, while in Murang'a, it was 26.9%.

A bar chart showing the prevalence of obesity among Kenyan women by county. Kirinyaga County had the highest obesity rate at 29.3%, Nyeri 28.1%, and Murang'a 26.9%.

The counties with the lowest prevalence of obesity were Mandera, at 3.8%; Marsabit, at 3.9%; Turkana, at 3.9%; Samburu, at 5.3%; and West Pokot, at 5.5%.

However, women in these counties also had a higher prevalence of being thin, and their children were highly likely to be undernourished and wasted.

References

[1] Wikipedia contributors. (2001, December 11). Body mass index. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_mass_index

[2] KNBS and ICF. 2023. Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022: Volume 1. Nairobi, Kenya, and Rockville, Maryland, USA: KNBS and ICF

[3] Mkuu, R. S., Epnere, K., & Chowdhury, M. a. B. (2018). Prevalence and predictors of overweight and obesity among Kenyan women. Preventing Chronic Disease, 15. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd15.170401