TITLE:
Prevalence and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Associated with Maternal Obesity in the Bamenda Regional Hospital
AUTHORS:
Dobgima Walter Pisoh, Ngek Edwin Foinsok, Loveline Lum Niba, Tameh Theodore, Achuo Ascensius Mforteh, Boten Bouyom Pierre Merlin, Takang William Ako, Dohbit Sama Julius
KEYWORDS:
Maternal, Obesity, Pregnancy, Outcome
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.13 No.4,
April
23,
2023
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Obesity is one of the most common problems of reproductive age women and
has been associated with diverse adverse pregnancy outcomes. Its prevalence in
pregnancy is estimated at 14% in Cameroon. Objective: The main objective
of this study was to determine the adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with
obesity in the Regional Hospital Bamenda. Methodology: This was a
hospital-based
cross-sectional
study. We recruited 283 participants and their BMIs were used to classify them
as underweight ( - 24.9),
overweight (25 - 29.9) and obese (≥30).
Ethical clearance, administrative authorisation and consent of participants
were obtained. Data was collected using a pretested questionnaire. We collected
data on sociodemographic characteristics, anthropometric characteristics, and
adverse pregnancy outcomes. Data was analysed using Microsoft Excel version 2010. Fisher’s test was used to
determine relative risk on bivariate logistic regression. P-values Results: Most participants
were in the age group 20 - 34 years, and were multigravida and multipara. The prevalence of maternal obesity was
31.4%. Obesity was associated with an increased risk of hypertensive disorders [RR: 7.7, 95% CI (2.13 - 42.39), p = 0.0003], caesarean section [RR: 2.9, 95% CI (1.11 - 4.01), p = 0.017] and macrosomia [RR: 7.3, 95% CI
(3.03 - 19.61),
p Conclusion: Maternal obesity is associated with hypertensive disorders, caesarean
section and macrosomia.