Socio-Demographic characteristics of women vendors in Kaneshie market
A 100% response rate was achieved during data collection, thus a total of 266 market
women in Kaneshie market participated in the study. The respondents were aged between
18 and 67 years; average (± Standard deviation) age was 12.3years (Table 1). Almost
a third of the women indicated Junior High School Form 3 or Middle School Leaving
Certificate Form 4 as their highest educational level completed. About a quarter (26.3%)
had completed Senior High or vocational School, and 6.4% had completed university.
About half (54.1%) of respondents were married and 21.4% were divorced, separated,
or widowed. Almost half of respondents were food vendors (44%). About 42% of the respondents
were household heads. Respondents had reported having an average of 3 (± 1.8) children each. The average BMI of the study respondents was approximately 31.1 (±5.8) kg/m2. More than half were overweight (25 ≤ BMI < 30 kg/m2), 27.1% had normal weight (BMI<25 kg/m2); and 16.5% were obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2).
Table 1: Socio-demographic characteristics of women vendors in Kaneshie market
Association between demographic characteristics of market women at Kaneshie and their
body mass index
Using Pearson Chi-square test of association, respondent age, marital status, educational
level, ethnicity and parity were significantly associated with BMI status (p<0.05).
From the multiple (adjusted) ordered logistic regression model, age, ethnicity, marital
status and parity were the significant demographic characteristics predictive of weight
status of respondents (p<0.05). Respondents within age groups 36 -55 years and 56
– 67 years were more than four times likely to have a higher weight status compared
those within 18 – 35 years age group. Ga-Adangbe, Ewe, and Northern Ghana ethnic groups
were likely to have bigger body size compared to Akans. Single women had about four
times less odds of having a higher weight status compared to those who were either
married, or divorced/separated/widowed, or cohabiting. Educational status was not
significantly associated with BMI status in adjusted model.
Table 2: Association between demographic characteristics of market women at Kaneshie
and body weight
Normal (BMI<25 kg/m2), Overweight (25 kg/m2 ≤ BMI < 30 kg/m2), Obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2), (%) represents row percentage, aOR: Adjusted Odds Ratio, p-value notation: ***p<0.001, **p<0.01, *p<0.05, ¥:p-value
was estimated from the one-way ANOVA test.. ref: reference category. SD: Standard
deviation, , JHS: Junior High School, SHS: Senior High School
Women’s Perception of weight status
Misperception about body weight was observed commonly among the respondents. Out of
the 266 respondents, 56.39% (150) were actually obese, yet 56.45% (105) of them perceived themselves to
be overweight and 14.29 (5) of normal weight. Majority (60%) of the women who thought they had normal weight wanted to gain some
more weight while 59.1% of those who thought they were overweight wanted to maintain
it. Conversely, 73.3% of women who perceived themselves as obese wanted to lose some
weight.
One-third (34.3%) of the respondents with a perception of normal weight wanted to
gain or maintain their weight in order to be socially accepted. Those who thought
they were overweight or obese and wanted to maintain or lose weight were motivated
by the need to have better health. More than half (54.3%) of the women with perceived
normal weight indicated that most people are comfortable with and accept their current
weight status. On the other hand, most (62.2 %) of the obese women indicated that
other people consider them as too big.
Table 4: Women’s body weight, weight preferences and weight perception by other people
Weight perception
The respondents with normal weight desired to gain some amount of weight. They expressed
that desire because they thought it is fashionable to have some body weight which
is characterised by a certain body image (shape) so as to look nice when you dress
up. Here are some quotes of how this perception was expressed:
“I would like to gain some weight because when you are too slim and you dress it does
not look nice on you but when you have some weight but not too fat that is nice”-(IDI
54 year old overweight woman).
“I would like to gain some weight especially get some more buttocks and hips so that
when I dress it will look nice like when you wear a straight dress and you have buttocks
and hips it looks very nice”- (IDI, A 25 year old normal weighted woman)
Efforts to lose weight
Obese women expressed “desire to lose weight” and recounted actions or measures they
have embarked on to lose weight including dieting, aerobic exercise, drinking herbal
teas, and starvation.
“I have tried to drink lime the whole day, go jogging and after a week or two you
are tired and you stop” (IDI 25 year old obese lady)
“I am working on my diet seriously. I don’t eat certain things and I don’t eat late
too and sometimes I go to jogging but not regularly because of my children so in a
month I go like twice” (38 year old obese woman)
“I have that machine for exercising like the bicycle but it is stationary, so I use
that and I drink this Chinese herbal tea that is used for slimming”.- (IDI, 40 years
old obese woman)
Overweight and obesity are a consequence of individual choice and lifestyle
Attribution theory posits that overweight and obesity is a consequence of individual
lifestyles and choices. Therefore, overweight and obese persons are not only blamed
for their stature but also expected to make efforts to control it. Narratives from
the qualitative data reveal such perceptions. Obese and overweight respondents recounted
situations where family members, friends or strangers told them they were too fat
and should do something to lose some weight. They explained that these comments are
mostly passed in an irritating manner. Below are quotes below from obese and overweight
persons;
“Most people here (Kaneshie Market) pass comments like you are fat ooo, why are you
not jogging or doing exercise. Some people say it in an annoying way to the extent
that you get angry and ask them to mind their own business, it is not my wish to be
this big”- (IDI, 25 year old obese woman).
“I will say with my father. When I am eating he always says you are so fat and you
are still eating these kinds of foods. You need to check your diet because you are
becoming overweight; sometimes he looks at you and say eeii look at your arms. Your
arm is becoming big, you need to check it or see a dietician. And I will say, ‘ah
this is how I am, my weight is always the same. He will say no you’ve changed. Now
you are becoming too fat. It makes me feel bad”-(IDI, 36 year old obese woman).
The perceived causes of weight gain also fuels the ideology of blaming individuals
for their overweight or obese status. This is because respondents with normal weight perceive overweight and obesity to be caused by excessive
eating. They stated that that overweight/obese individuals lack self-discipline with
regards to their eating habit, therefore they eat big amounts of food as well fatty
diets. Although some, attributed weight gain to hereditary origin, they were of the
opinion that if you don’t catalyse it by excessive eating, it will not manifest.
“We have to blame them because they are the ones eating the food and not exercising.
I think that obesity is mainly due to eating too much food or fatty food and not exercising
because you can’t say it is a family thing because you have to eat to get fat”- (IDI,
56 year old normal weight).
“I don’t know much but what I know is that obesity is caused by eating too much fats
and oils”- (IDI, 19 year old normal weight woman)
I will blame them (overweight/obese persons) because there is this woman in my church
she is so fat and whenever we have an occasion that involves food you will see her
bring two plates and she will take maybe banku and rice and eat all. So then I saw
that her fatness is due to excessive eating so for some people it is the way they
eat that makes them fat. (IDI, 38 year old normal weight woman)
Derogatory name callings
Derogatory name calling is a common stigmatizing attitude that overweight and obese
people experience. All the study respondents were aware of the names used to call
overweight/obese persons. About 65% of respondents indicated that overweight/obese
persons were not comfortable with those names. Derogatory name calling was also one
of the themes that emerged as a stigmatizing attitude from the qualitative data. Women
with normal weight mentioned different names by which they call overweight and obese
persons and this was confirmed by obese respondents as they also mentioned names they
are tagged with. These derogatory names were used to describe how they look or tease
and laugh at them. Some of the respondents of normal weight in the qualitative research
explained how uncomfortable these name calling was for the overweight and obese persons.
Overweight and obese persons expressed dislike, shame and anger when they are called
those names.
“we call such people obolo or bosa (a big marine fish), such people have different
names, others also describe them as obigi and when they call them such names we see
that they are not happy and it bothers them”- (IDI, 38 year old normal weight woman).
“they say obolo, okesie, big size and stuff like that, it is annoying but sometimes
you just have to ignore them and go your way”- (IDI, 25 year old obese woman).
Challenges of using public spaces and public transport
About 52% of the respondents surveyed were of the view that overweight/obese persons
should not be treated differently when they use public transport, while 44 % were
of the view that they should be treated differently. This different treatment encompassed
making them uncomfortable as well as being aware of the inconvenience their weight
causes for other passengers who sit beside them when they use public transport. Findings
from the in-depth interview revealed that overweight/obese persons were discriminated
against in public transport. Respondents with normal weight indicated that everyone
pays the same fare hence each individual is entitled to a whole seat but overweight
and obese persons occupy other people’s seat creating inconveniences. Usually, passengers
avoid sitting beside overweight/obese persons in public transport or when they do,
make comments about how they have occupied all the space with their big bodies.
“When they sit in the public transport like the trotro people pass comments like you
are too big you have taken up all the space. There is this woman in my neighborhood,
she is very fat, so when we sit in the trotro and she is coming to board the car nobody
wants her to sit by her because she will take up all the space and the entire seat
carries four people but when she sits she takes up the space of two people so then
the slim person there will be squeezed so as for me when she is coming to board the
car, I don’t make her sit by me”- (IDI, 56 year old normal weight woman)
“People usually pass comments like woman you are too big you cannot sit here, go and
get a taxi. The other day I went to board this commercial bus and this very fat woman
came to sit inside, in fact she went to sit in first because she knows that when she
goes later people will not want her to sit by them so when the other passengers started
teasing her saying she is too big and has occupied the space meant for two people
and for that reason she should pay for two, but she didn’t mind them”- (IDI, 30 year
old normal weight woman).
Overweight and obese respondents in the IDIs recounted instances where they were treated
badly in commercial vehicles because of their body size and weight as quoted below:
“Because of my weight I am large so definitely I will come in someone’s seat. The
seats are for individuals but sometimes I take more than my own seat so definitely
someone will complain. So before the person even comes to sit the person will look
at you and check other seats whether there are other spaces. If there is no space
that’s when the person comes to sit beside you. But if there is space you see that
they all bypass you and go to the next seat but if there is no space when they are
coming to sit beside you they start murmuring or saying certain things that you have
to push because you have taken part of my seat”- (IDI, 36 year old obese woman).
“sometimes it is annoying because you will be sitting beside a slim person and the
person knows you are fat but the person will open the legs because the person is also
paying and entitled to a full sit so you have to squeeze and you know the seat is
four and there is some small space left you hear them saying that as for me I cannot
sit there the space is small I can’t sit. On one or two occasions I have experienced
this and the mate had to go like that and leave the seat because no one was willing
to sit there”- (IDI, 25 year old obese woman).
Denial of jobs due to overweight/obese
Overweight and obesity were documented as barriers to acquiring certain jobs. Some
respondents recounted how they were denied some job opportunities because of their
weight and body size. Instances were cited of how the media prefers people with slim
personality as opposed to overweight or obese persons. One respondent narrated how
difficult it has been for her to get a white collar job after graduating from the
university because of her weight and therefore had to settle for selling with her
mother in the market.
“My friend and I applied for a job in one of the big hotels as a front desk receptionist,
my friend got the job but I didn’t get it and the reason they gave was that the job
required smart people. Even though I told them I was smart, I think they did not believe
me because people usually say fat people are not smart. So now I am here selling with
my mother” (IDI, a 25 year old obese woman).
“because of my weight I was supposed to run a TV show in which I started but along
the line when I was looking for sponsorship I was told because of my size they can’t
put in their money because it wouldn’t fetch money so the best thing for me to do
is to go on a diet so that I will be very slim and good looking meaning because of
my weight I wasn’t good looking. Those were some of the reasons why I left the media,
even now when you watch TV, even news, most of the presenters are not overweight.
There are some workplaces if you have too much weight they will not give it to you
because they want smart people” (IDI, a 36 year old obese woman)
Withdrawal from social activities due to stigmatizing attitudes
Feelings of shame, anger, and self-pity are some of the sentiments obese women expressed
when they are subjected to discriminatory or stigmatizing behaviors. As a result,
some indicated that they shy away from some social gatherings like pool parties and
going to church because of the comments and attention they will attract, due to their
weight status. Overweight and obese persons described how embarrassing and annoying
it is when they are stared at or talked about in the streets.
“Sometimes you will be walking in town and you will see that everybody’s attention
is on you and sometimes you are wondering what they are looking at only to find out
that they are looking at you and you ask yourself why me? Or when you are walking
with your friends and they pass comments about your weight, it is not nice, it is
embarrassing.”- (IDI, a 36 year old obese woman).
“yes, sometimes when you go to some places the way they will look at you as if you
are not normal even at church when you are about to sit down they will be saying things
like you will break the chair ooo, it hurts but what can you do”- (IDI, 38 year old
obese woman)
“I will never go for a pool party because of wearing the bikini. People will say ,
‘this fat girl in bikini’ or maybe there is a social gathering and you have to sit
on small chairs and when you go there they will pass comments like; are you coming
to sit on these chairs? You will break it and so because of that you will say let
not go anywhere let me be at home because I will have my peace” (IDI, 38 year old
obese woman).