TITLE:
Independent and combined association of parity and short pregnancy with obesity and weight change among Indian women
AUTHORS:
Shilpi Gupta, Satwanti Kapoor
KEYWORDS:
Women; Parity; Short Pregnancy; Weight Gain; Central Obesity
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.4 No.5,
May
24,
2012
ABSTRACT: Objective: To investigate association of parity and short pregnancy with obesity and weight change in Aggarwal Baniya women. Method: A cross-sectional analysis was carried out on a representative sample of 307 adult Aggarwal Baniya women aged 30 - 50 years (mean age: 38.7 ± 4.87) using multistage cluster sampling method. Weight, height, various skinfold thicknesses, waist and hip circumference were measured using standardized protocol. Various indices of obesity (BMI, WHR, WHtR, GMT) were calculated subsequently. Comparison groups were defined by the number of births (parity), short pregnancies and total pregnancies. Mean change in weight and other obesity markers were examined for each group separately. Correlation analysis was applied to see the association of childbearing on obesity. Linear regression was applied as an effective measure. Results: There was a gain in weight (3.16 kg) and increase in other obesity markers (BMI: 1.29 kg/m2; WC: 2.38 cm; HC: 3.83 cm) with each increase in each parity. Significant and positive correlation (p 2). Conclusion: Among other risk factors, high parity number may be associated with obesity in women. Therefore, interventions to prevent obesity should be targeted at women prior to initiation of childbearing. However, the impact of reproductive wastage in the form of short pregnancies on women’s obesity needs further exploration.