The weight of work: the association between maternal employment and overweight in low- and middle-income countries.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Maternal employment has increased in low-and middle-income countries (LMIC) and is a hypothesized risk factor for maternal overweight due to increased income and behavioral changes related to time allocation. However, few studies have investigated this relationship in LMIC.

Methods

Using cross-sectional samples from Demographic and Health Surveys, we investigated the association between maternal employment and overweight (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 25 kg/m²) among women in 38 LMIC (N = 162,768). We categorized mothers as formally employed, informally employed, or non-employed based on 4 indicators: employment status in the last 12 months; aggregate occupation category (skilled, unskilled); type of earnings (cash only, cash and in-kind, in-kind only, unpaid

SUBMITTER: Oddo VM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6389244 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature