12
Disease Categories
TOP 10 TAKEAWAY MESSAGES:
Obesity and Women
1. Obesity disproportionately affects women, with those from
ethnic/racial minorities and those living in poverty being more
affected.
2. Healthcare costs are higher for women with obesity compared to
men with obesity.
3. Women with obesity experience more weight bias and
stigmatization than men with obesity.
4. Physiologic, societal, socio-economic, and interpersonal factors
influence the development, progression, and persistence of
obesity in women.
5. Key stages of a woman's life when she is at risk of weight
gain include adolescence, early adulthood, pre-conception,
pregnancy, postpartum, mid-life, and older adulthood.
6. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common
endocrinopathy in women of reproductive age and is more
common and severe in women with obesity.
7. Maternal obesity contributes to pregnancy complications,
childhood obesity and has a negative impact on the health of the
mother and her offspring.
8. Women with obesity have lower rates of breastfeeding intention,
initiation, and duration.
9. Menopause is a risk factor for weight gain and cardiovascular
disease.
10. Women with obesity have higher risk of endometrial cancer,
postmenopausal breast cancer.
