TITLE:
“I Did Not Choose to Be Obese”—Experiences of Stigma among Market Women in Kaneshie, Ghana
AUTHORS:
Mildred Arday, Virtue Fiawokome De-Gaulle, Kofi Agyabeng, Richmond Aryeetey
KEYWORDS:
Obesity, Stigma, Market Women, Kaneshie, Ghana
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.7 No.5,
May
9,
2020
ABSTRACT: Excess body fat is associated with impaired physical and socio-emotional health outcomes. There is limited evidence on stigma and discrimination associated with overweight and obesity in developing country settings like Ghana where the rate of overweight is rapidly increasing. This current study explored the experiences of obesity-related stigma and discrimination among adult female vendors in the Kaneshie Market in Accra, Ghana. Employing a mixed concurrent method, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Quantitatively, about half (56%) of the survey respondents were obese, however, most of them misperceived their weight. Using Pearson Chi-square test of association, respondent age, marital status, educational level, ethnicity and parity were significantly associated with BMI status. Multiple (adjusted) ordered logistic regression model showed age, ethnicity and marital status and parity to be significant demographic characteristics predictive of weight status. Single women had about four times lesser odds of having a higher weight status compared to those who were either married, divorced/sepa- rated/widowed, or cohabiting. Educational status was not significantly associated with BMI status in adjusted model. The qualitative findings revealed derogatory name calling, limitations to use of public spaces, and denial of opportunities as stigmatizing and discriminatory attitudes experienced by obese respondents.