LAUSR

OBJECTIVE To explore the relationships between dental problems and underweight status among rural women in Burkina Faso by using nationally representative data. DESIGN This was a cross-sectional secondary study of primary data obtained by the 2013 World Health Organization Stepwise Approach to Surveillance survey conducted in Burkina Faso. Descriptive and analytical analyses were performed using Student's t test, ANOVA, the chi-square test, Fisher's exact test and logistic regression. SETTING All 13 Burkinabè regions were categorized using quartiles of urbanization rates. PARTICIPANTS The participants were 1730 rural women aged 25-64 years. RESULTS The prevalence of underweight was 16.0%, and 24.1% of participants experienced dental problems during the 12-month period. The women with dental problems were more frequently underweight (19.9% and 14.7%; p<0.05) and had a lower mean body mass index ([BMI] 21.1±3.2 and 21.6±3.7 kg/m2, p<0.01) than those without dental problems. More risk factors for underweight were observed in less urbanized regions among elderly individuals (>49 years old) and smokeless tobacco users. Age >49 years, professions with inconsistent income, a lack of education, smokeless tobacco use and low BMI were factors that were significantly associated with dental problems, while residency in a low-urbanization area was a protective factor. CONCLUSION The prevalence of underweight in rural Burkinabè women is among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa, and women with dental problems are more frequently affected than those without dental problems. Public health measures for the prevention of these disorders should specifically target women aged over 49 years and smokeless tobacco users.