Influence of internet and media use on overweight and obesity among women of reproductive age in Nigeria: evidence from the demographic and health survey

There is a rise in the prevalence of overweight/obesity globally, including in Nigeria. While some attempts have been made to understand the determinants, there is a dearth of data on the influence of contemporary issues such as internet and media use on overweight/obesity in Nigeria. The study therefore aimed to investigate the influence of internet and media use on overweight/obesity among women of reproductive age in Nigeria. A population based cross-sectional study among 13,174 non-pregnant women (15 – 49 years) of reproductive age who were selected using cluster sampling technique. Data were obtained from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, 2018. The outcome variable was overweight/obesity which was defined using the body mass index (BMI) and the BMI-for-age reference values among adults (20 – 49 years) and adolescents (15 – 19 years) respectively. The main explanatory variables were the frequency of use of internet, television and radio, defined as women who used these at least once a week. Other possible confounders such as age, education, work status, marital status, number of children ever born, number of household members, wealth index, region and residence, were adjusted for. After a descriptive analysis of all variables, tests of associations were done at bivariate (using Pearson Chi squared test) and multivariate level using logistic regression analysis. The mean age of the respondents was 29.5 (standard deviation: 9.7) years. The combined prevalence of overweight and obesity was 28.5%, and the proportions with high usage of internet, radio and television were 12.8%, 31.0% and 34.6% respectively. In the final model that adjusted for all explanatory variables, internet (high vs low use; OR: 1.61; 95% CI: 1.26 to 2.08) and television (high vs low use; OR: 1.27; 95% CI: 1.08 to 1.48) had a statistically significant positive association with overweight/obesity. Internet and television use had statistically significant positive associations with overweight/obesity even after adjusting for possible confounding variables. While internet and television use have a lot of advantages and should not be regulated, interventions should be designed to address the risk of overweight/obesity associated with screen-based sedentary behavior.