Assessment of Socio-economic Characteristics and Anthropometric Status of Pre and Post-menopausal Civil Servants in Abeokuta, Ogun State Nigeria

Background: Menopause is the consistent and continuous absence of menses for twelve consecutive months among women.

Aim: The study was conducted to assess the Anthropometry and Nutrient intake of pre and post-menopausal civil servant in Abeokuta, Ogun state. Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist/Hip ratio were used to classify the anthropometric characteristics of the respondents and were compared with the WHO reference standard.

Methods: All statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS/RC) Programme (version 16). Chi-square, t-test and Pearson linear correlation were used to assess the relationship between variables.

Results: Result of Body Mass Index (BMI) revealed that a total of 17.4% of pre-menopausal women and 14.8% of the menopausal were obese. Consumption of fruit and vegetable was low for both groups of women. There was a significant difference in the WHR (p< 0.05) and no significant difference in the mean intake of the two groups considered at p< 0.05. There was a positive correlation (r=0.246) between age and BMI and a positive correlation (r=0.164) between BMI and activity level.

Conclusion: There is a need to educate respondents on weight maintenance. An improvement in respondents' knowledge on the importance of fruit and vegetable, through nutrition education, and way to incorporate these sources of nutrient in the diet will go a long way in improving nutritional status.