The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among women of childbearing age is a growing public health. The average body mass index (BMI) is increasing among all age categories and women enter pregnancy at higher weights. Women are also more likely to retain gestational weight with each pregnancy. Women who are overweight (BMI 25â30) and obese (BMI â¥30) are at greater risk of adverse reproductive health outcomes compared to women of normal weight status (BMI 19.8â25). Obesity in pregnancy is associated with numerous ante partum complications and neonatal morbidity. Modest weight loss prior to pregnancy and reduced weight gain during gestation could bring substantial advantages to obstetric outcome. To compare maternal complications and labor outcome in obese and non-obese women it is a retrospective comparative study conducted at the Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics,
Unit 1, Civil Hospital, Karachi from Dec 2009 to Dec 2010. A sample size of 220 gravid women is selected by Non Probability Convenience sampling technique. In these 110 obese women as cases was compared with 110 non-obese women as controls, booked at <20 weeks of gestation and data was collected regarding maternal complication, mode of delivery and neonatal outcome by trained medical officers. Data was entered and analyzed by SPSS version 11.0 through descriptive analysis, chi-square test and independent sample t test. The p-values of <0.05 was considered significant. Pregnancy induced hypertension was present in 9 (8.2%) women in control group and 21(19.1%) in cases (p=0.0184). Gestational diabetes was seen in one (0.9%) in control compared to 8(7.3%) in obese women (p=0.0172). Obese women were found to be at increased risk of caesarean section [17 (15.5%) vs. 39(35.4%)] with significant p = 0.002. Apgar score at 1 and 10 minute was low in cases compared to controls (p=0.0001). Obese women are at increased risk of pregnancy induced maternal obesity and associated with an increased risk of hypertension, gestational diabetes mellitus and severe adverse pregnancy outcome. The incidence of maternal obesity and its attendant co-morbid conditions (diabetes, cardiovascular disease) continues to increase at an alarming rate, with major public health implications. Not only does maternal obesity affect the woman, but it also impacts the health of the child, leading to increased childhood obesity and diabetes. Maternal Obesity a Global Health Problem and its Implications on Maternal and Fetal Health: Anjum Hashmi, Jamil Ahmed Soomro, Zafar Iqbal, Tahira Kousar Soomro and Khalid Saleem.
Last date updated on June, 2014
