Population-based Survey of Lifestyle Behaviours of Women with Varied Parity and Chronic Disease Statuses in Nigeria: A Discriminant, Classification Analysis

The study aimed to explore the lifestyle behaviours of women with varied parity and chronic disease statuses in Nigeria. This was a representative of women population in Ogun State in the southwest of Nigeria recruited between March and June 2022 using stratified sampling among the twenty (20) local governments in the three senatorial districts of the state.  Data on parity, chronic diseases, health status, dietary patterns, and anthropometric and lifestyle factors were collected using validated questionnaires. A total of  seven hundred and ninety (790) women over 18 years old (range: 18  –78) and average body mass index (BMI) of 25.9 ± 4.3 (range: 15.2  – 44.2) participated in the study. Parity rate and the prevalence of chronic diseases were 50.4% and 14.4%, respectively. Parity was associated with demographic factors as the participants, more of widows and of other ethnic descent, reported direct and inverse relationships of live births with age and level of formal education, respectively. In addition, women with chronic diseases were significantly more common in the younger age group (≤ 44 years) than in the older one (> 44 years) (32.2% vs. 4.7%; p < 0.05) and in those more likely to have separated. Moreover, whilst parity was associated with walking and consumption of foods including meat products, eggs and fruits,  chronic disease was only associated with physical activity. Our findings reveal that women who are parous and / or with chronic diseases are characterized by higher BMI and more elevated health distress and health interference.