TITLE:
Weight Status at Postpartum: Being Normal Weight Yet Centrally Obese!
AUTHORS:
Rebecca Cherono, Irene A. Ogada, Judith Kimiywe
KEYWORDS:
Central Obesity, Overall Obesity, Waist Circumference, Waist Hips Ratio, Waist to Height Ratio
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.10 No.9,
September
9,
2019
ABSTRACT: Background: Obesity among women of child-bearing age has been a public health concern
in the recent past. Central obesity has been found to be rising in different
countries. Objectives: This study determined prevalence and correlates
of central obesity and normal weight central obesity among postpartum women. Study
Design: Randomly selected 460 postpartum women attending health facilities for vaccination/growth monitoring
of their infants in Kasarani sub-county, Nairobi County, Kenya took part in the study. BMI was
used to measure overall obesity. Central obesity was assessed by waist circumference (WC), waist to hips ratio (WHR) and
waist to height ratio (WHTR). National Institute of Health and
Clinical Excellence (NICE) BMI-WC index was used to assess health risk.
Bivariate analysis was used to determine correlates of central obesity. Results: The prevalence of CO as
defined by WC, WHR and WHTR were 66.3%, 62.1% and 50.6% respectively.
Prevalence of normal weight central obesity was 39.2%, 36.5%, and 34.4% by WC,
WHR, and WHTR respectively. One in every three participants, 38.6%, had high or
very high health risk while 15% had increased risk and 44.1% had no increased
health risk. Parity and age showed significant positive association with
central obesity (Age: WC r = 0.156, p ≤ 0.001; WHTR r = 0.190, p ≤ 0.001;
Parity: WC r = 0.0126, p = 0.009; WHTR r = 0.149, p = 0.002). Conclusion: Central obesity prevalence was high regardless of the
measure used. About a third of the postpartum women with normal weight BMI was
centrally obese and was either at high or very high
health risk. Health care workers should therefore use a central obesity measure alongside BMI when
assessing nutrition status in the study setting.