Spousal Concordance in Overweight and Obesity among Indian Couples: A Nationwide Analysis of Socioeconomic and Dietary Determinants
Objective: This study examines the level and determinants of spousal concordance in overweight/obesity among married couples in India. Background: The rising prevalence of overweight/obesity is a growing public health concern globally. While spousal concordance in obesity is recognized in developed...
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| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Current Developments in Nutrition |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2475299125029506 |
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| author | Prashant Kumar Singh Lucky Singh Shashi Kala Saroj Chandan Kumar Shekhar Kashyap Shalini Singh |
| author_facet | Prashant Kumar Singh Lucky Singh Shashi Kala Saroj Chandan Kumar Shekhar Kashyap Shalini Singh |
| author_sort | Prashant Kumar Singh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective: This study examines the level and determinants of spousal concordance in overweight/obesity among married couples in India. Background: The rising prevalence of overweight/obesity is a growing public health concern globally. While spousal concordance in obesity is recognized in developed countries, less is known about this phenomenon in low- and middle-income countries. Understanding the shared risk factors within couples is crucial for effective intervention. Methods: We analyzed data from 52,737 married couples using the nationally representative National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5 (2019–2021). This study used the Asian body mass index (BMI) (in kg/m2) cutoff for overweight/obesity (≥23.0) concordance. Descriptive statistics were used to assess sociodemographic characteristics. The log-binomial regression model was used to estimate the adjusted risk ratio (ARR) of spousal concordance in overweight/obesity. Results: Overall, 27.4% of couples exhibited concordance for overweight or obesity. Concordance was more prevalent among couples belonging to the richest wealth quintile (47.6%), residing in urban areas (38.4%), living in nuclear families (28.9%), sharing similar age (28.8%) or higher (28.9%), or having similar education levels (31.4%). Higher concordance was also associated with couples not engaged in paid work (33.9%) and those who frequently used media (newspapers: 39.6%, television: 32.8%) or consumed nonvegetarian foods weekly—eggs (30.7%), chicken (29.9%). Geographically, the highest concordance was observed in the southern (37.2%) and northern (33.5%) regions, with Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Delhi, Goa, Tamil Nadu, and Punjab reporting the highest state-level prevalence (≥42%). Multivariable analysis showed significantly increased risk of spousal overweight/obesity concordance among couples in the richest wealth quintile (ARR = 4.311; 95% CI: 3.757, 4.947), urban areas (ARR = 1.085; 95% CI: 1.016, 1.159), other religious groups (ARR = 1.185; 95% CI: 1.089, 1.291). Regular consumption of eggs (14%), fish (25%), chicken (9%), fried foods (6%), and alcohol (98%) were also linked to higher concordance. Conclusions: Spousal concordance in overweight/obesity is strongly influenced by shared socioeconomic status, lifestyle behaviors, and dietary patterns. Couples in urban, affluent, media-exposed, and nonvegetarian households are particularly at risk. Public health strategies should prioritize couple-based interventions, especially among high-risk subgroups, to curb the dual burden of overweight/obesity and associated chronic diseases. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-575f0812358d47aa89ea417cba09b5f2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2475-2991 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Current Developments in Nutrition |
| spelling | doaj-art-575f0812358d47aa89ea417cba09b5f22025-08-20T03:08:36ZengElsevierCurrent Developments in Nutrition2475-29912025-07-019710748910.1016/j.cdnut.2025.107489Spousal Concordance in Overweight and Obesity among Indian Couples: A Nationwide Analysis of Socioeconomic and Dietary DeterminantsPrashant Kumar Singh0Lucky Singh1Shashi Kala Saroj2Chandan Kumar3Shekhar Kashyap4Shalini Singh5Division of Preventive Oncology and Population Health, ICMR-National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India; Faculty of Medical Research, The Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi, India; Corresponding author.Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi, India; Faculty of Mathematical and Information Sciences, Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi, IndiaDivision of Preventive Oncology and Population Health, ICMR-National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaDepartment of Policy and Management Studies, TERI School of Advanced Studies (TERI SAS), New Delhi, India; Emerson Centre of Excellence for Sustainability Studies, TERI SAS, New Delhi, IndiaInterventional Cardiologist, New Delhi, IndiaICMR-National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaObjective: This study examines the level and determinants of spousal concordance in overweight/obesity among married couples in India. Background: The rising prevalence of overweight/obesity is a growing public health concern globally. While spousal concordance in obesity is recognized in developed countries, less is known about this phenomenon in low- and middle-income countries. Understanding the shared risk factors within couples is crucial for effective intervention. Methods: We analyzed data from 52,737 married couples using the nationally representative National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5 (2019–2021). This study used the Asian body mass index (BMI) (in kg/m2) cutoff for overweight/obesity (≥23.0) concordance. Descriptive statistics were used to assess sociodemographic characteristics. The log-binomial regression model was used to estimate the adjusted risk ratio (ARR) of spousal concordance in overweight/obesity. Results: Overall, 27.4% of couples exhibited concordance for overweight or obesity. Concordance was more prevalent among couples belonging to the richest wealth quintile (47.6%), residing in urban areas (38.4%), living in nuclear families (28.9%), sharing similar age (28.8%) or higher (28.9%), or having similar education levels (31.4%). Higher concordance was also associated with couples not engaged in paid work (33.9%) and those who frequently used media (newspapers: 39.6%, television: 32.8%) or consumed nonvegetarian foods weekly—eggs (30.7%), chicken (29.9%). Geographically, the highest concordance was observed in the southern (37.2%) and northern (33.5%) regions, with Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Delhi, Goa, Tamil Nadu, and Punjab reporting the highest state-level prevalence (≥42%). Multivariable analysis showed significantly increased risk of spousal overweight/obesity concordance among couples in the richest wealth quintile (ARR = 4.311; 95% CI: 3.757, 4.947), urban areas (ARR = 1.085; 95% CI: 1.016, 1.159), other religious groups (ARR = 1.185; 95% CI: 1.089, 1.291). Regular consumption of eggs (14%), fish (25%), chicken (9%), fried foods (6%), and alcohol (98%) were also linked to higher concordance. Conclusions: Spousal concordance in overweight/obesity is strongly influenced by shared socioeconomic status, lifestyle behaviors, and dietary patterns. Couples in urban, affluent, media-exposed, and nonvegetarian households are particularly at risk. Public health strategies should prioritize couple-based interventions, especially among high-risk subgroups, to curb the dual burden of overweight/obesity and associated chronic diseases.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2475299125029506spousal concordanceoverweightobesityAsian-BMIcovariatesNFHS |
| spellingShingle | Prashant Kumar Singh Lucky Singh Shashi Kala Saroj Chandan Kumar Shekhar Kashyap Shalini Singh Spousal Concordance in Overweight and Obesity among Indian Couples: A Nationwide Analysis of Socioeconomic and Dietary Determinants Current Developments in Nutrition spousal concordance overweight obesity Asian-BMI covariates NFHS |
| title | Spousal Concordance in Overweight and Obesity among Indian Couples: A Nationwide Analysis of Socioeconomic and Dietary Determinants |
| title_full | Spousal Concordance in Overweight and Obesity among Indian Couples: A Nationwide Analysis of Socioeconomic and Dietary Determinants |
| title_fullStr | Spousal Concordance in Overweight and Obesity among Indian Couples: A Nationwide Analysis of Socioeconomic and Dietary Determinants |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spousal Concordance in Overweight and Obesity among Indian Couples: A Nationwide Analysis of Socioeconomic and Dietary Determinants |
| title_short | Spousal Concordance in Overweight and Obesity among Indian Couples: A Nationwide Analysis of Socioeconomic and Dietary Determinants |
| title_sort | spousal concordance in overweight and obesity among indian couples a nationwide analysis of socioeconomic and dietary determinants |
| topic | spousal concordance overweight obesity Asian-BMI covariates NFHS |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2475299125029506 |
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