Deepali Verma and Satwanti Kapoor
Posters: J Diabetes Metab
The physiological and metabolic alternation during pregnancy has sparked questions about the association of child-bearing with the subsequent risk of conditions. The objective of the study was to assess the association between clustering of metabolic risk factors and parity. The present cross sectional study include 120 females aged 36.2+7.38 years who inhabited urban area of Delhi and belonged to middle socio-economic status. The factors related to cardiovascular health and diabetes included random blood sugar (RBS), blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) and lipid profile (cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL and LDL). The general and regional adiposity was assessed by body mass index, body fat percentage and waist circumference. The descriptive characteristics and distribution of females in risk categories of these parameters are presented by means and proportions respectively. The association between metabolic risk factors and parity has been evaluated using correlation and linear regression analysis. Statistical inference is based on two sided probability value of < 0.05. The correlation revealed significant association of adiposity indices with biomarkers of cardiovascular health (blood pressure and lipid profile) while the blood glucose level was positively correlated with parity. Blood glucose level increased 4.5 units per parity, after adjusting for obesity. The isolated finding of higher blood glucose levels in women of high parity (3 or more) raises a question of whether the stress of successive pregnancies predisposes women to develop Type II diabetes. While prospective evidence is still lacking, available data seem to favour the conclusion that pregnancy may have role in the causation of diabetes.
Deepali Verma has done M.Sc and presently pursuing PhD at Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi. She has attended 4 national seminars and a workshop and has 5 publications to her credit. She has done fieldwork among different ethnic populations. Her research interest includes obesity, body composition, Type II diabetes, metabolic syndrome. She has been awarded Junior Research Fellowship by University Grants commission, India.
