Where do overweight women in Ghana live? Answers from exploratory spatial data analysis

Fidelia A. A. Dake, University of Ghana

Recent health research indicates that health outcomes including low birth weight, obesity and non-communicable disease conditions are influence by the context within which people live. Even though the prevalence of obesity is on the increase in Ghana, the possibility of a spatial dimension to the problem remains under researched. This paper explores spatial clustering in body mass index (BMI) among Ghanaian women using data from the 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey which was analysed using exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) techniques. Women who lived in clusters where the women were overweight were more likely to live around other women who were also overweight. The results indicate that the urban environment could be a potential contributing factor to the high levels of obesity in urban areas of Ghana. There is the need for researchers to include a spatial dimension to obesity research in Ghana paying particular attention the urban environment.