Independent and combined association of parity and short pregnancy with obesity and weight change among Indian women

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 < 0.001) was found between obesity and parity. However, negative association was found between short pregnancy and obesity parameters (BMI: –0.767 kg/m2). 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.

Share and Cite:

Gupta, S. and Kapoor, S. (2012) Independent and combined association of parity and short pregnancy with obesity and weight change among Indian women. Health, 4, 271-276. doi: 10.4236/health.2012.45044.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1] Heliovaara, H., and Aromaa, A. (1981) Parity and obesity. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 35, 197-199. doi:10.1136/jech.35.3.197
[2] Den Tonkelaar, I., et al. (1990) Fat distribution in relation to age, degree of obesity, smoking habits, parity and estrogen use: A cross-sectional study in 11825 Dutch women participating in the DOM-project. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 14, 753- 761.
[3] Arroyo, P., et al. (1995) Parity and the prevalence of overweight. International Journal of Gynaecology & Obstetrics, 48, 269-272. doi:10.1016/0020-7292(94)02284-6
[4] Coitinho, D.C., Sichieri, R. and D’Aquino Benicio, M.H. (2001) Obesity and weight change related to parity and breastfeeding among parous women in Brazil. Public Health Nutrition, 4, 865-870. doi:10.1079/PHN2001125
[5] Smith, D.E., et al. (1994) Longitudinal changes in adiposity associated with pregnancy: The CARDIA study. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 271, 1747-1790. doi:10.1001/jama.1994.03510460039030
[6] Williamson, D.F., et al. (1994) A prospective study of childbearing and 10-year weight gain in US white women 25 to 45 years of age. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 18, 561-569.
[7] Erem, C., et al. (2004) Prevalance of obesity and associated factors in a Turkish population (Trabzon city, Turkey). Obesity Research, 12, 1117-1127. doi:10.1038/oby.2004.140
[8] Bastian, L.A., et al. (2005) Cache county study on memory, health, and aging. Number of children and the risk of obesity in older women. Preventive Medicine, 40, 99-104. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2004.05.007
[9] Gunderson, E.P. and Abrams, B. (2000) Epidemiology of gestational weight gain and body weight changes after pregnancy. Epidemiologic Reviews, 22, 261-274. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.epirev.a018038
[10] Gunderson, E.P., Abrams, B. and Selvin, S. (2000) The relative importance of gestational gain and maternal characteristics associated with the risk of becoming overweight after pregnancy. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 24, 1660-1668. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0801456
[11] Clapp, J.F., et al. (1988) Maternal physiologic adaptations to early human pregnancy. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 159, 1456-1460.
[12] Gunderson, E.P., et al. (2004) Excess gains in weight and waist circumference associated with childbearing: The coronary artery risk development in young adults study (CARDIA). International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 28, 525-535. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0802551
[13] Gupta, S. and Kapoor, S. (2010) Sex differences in blood pressure levels and its association with obesity indices: Who is at greater risk. Ethnicity Disease, 20, 370-375.
[14] Hayes, D. and Ross, C.E. (1987) Concern with appearance, health beliefs, and eating habits. Journal of Health and Socical Behavior, 28, 120-30. doi:10.2307/2137126
[15] Sobal, J. (2004) Sociological analysis of the stigmatization of obesity. In: Germov, J. and Williams, L., Eds., A Sociology of Food and Nutrition: The Social Appetite. 2nd Edition, Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
[16] World Health Organization. (1998) Obesity—Preventing and managing the global epidemic: Report of a WHO consultation on obesity. World Health Organization, Geneva.
[17] Alberti, K.G.M.M., et al. (2009) Harmonizing the metabolic syndrome: A joint interim statement of the international diabetes federation task force on epidemiology and prevention; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; American Heart Association; World Heart Federation; International Atherosclerosis Society; and International Association for the Study of Obesity. Circulation, 120, 1640- 1645. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.192644
[18] Ashwell, M., Cole, T.J. and Dixon, A.K. (1985) Obesity: New insight into the anthropometric classification of fat distribution shown by computed tomography. British Medical Journal, 290, 1692-1694. doi:10.1136/bmj.290.6483.1692
[19] Rossner, S. (1992) Short communication: Pregnancy, weight cycling and weight gain in obesity. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 16, 145-147.
[20] Kaye, S.A., et al. (1990) The association of body fat distribution with lifestyle and reproductive factors in a population study of postmenopausal women. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 14, 583- 591.
[21] Kapoor, S., Verma, S. and Bhutani, M. (1997) Structural changes during pregnancy and lactation among first parity women. Journal of Human Ecology, 8, 241-248.
[22] Greene, G.W., et al. (1988) Postpartum weight change: How much of the weight gained in pregnancy will be lost after delivery? Obstetric & Gynecology, 71, 701-707.
[23] Ohlin, A. and Rossner, S. (1994) Trends in eating patterns, physical activity and socio-demographic factors in relation to postpartum body weight development. British Journal of Nutrition, 71, 457-470. doi:10.1079/BJN19940155
[24] Harris, H.E., Ellison, G.T., Clement, S., et al. (1999) Relative importance of heritable characteristics and life-style in the development of maternal obesity. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 53, 66-74. doi:10.1136/jech.53.2.66
[25] Sohlstrom, A. and Forsum, E. (1995). Changes in adipose tissue volume and distribution during reproduction in Swedish women as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 61, 287-295.
[26] Soltani, H. and Fraser, R.B. (2000) A longitudinal study of maternal anthropometric changes in normal weight, overweight, and obese women during pregnancy and postpartum. British Journal of Nutrition, 84, 95-101. doi:10.1017/S0007114500001276
[27] Weng, H.H., et al. (2004) Number of children associated with obesity in middle aged women and men: Results from the health and retirement study. Journal of Woman Health, 13, 99-117.
[28] Troisi, R.J., et al. (1995) Relation of body fat distribution to reproductive factors in pre- and postmenopausal women. Obesity Research, 3, 143-151.
[29] Wolfe, W.S., et al. (1997) Parity associated body weight: Modification by socio-demographic and behavioral factors. Obesity Research, 5, 131-141.
[30] Rosenberg, L., et al. (2003) A prospective study of the effect of childbearing on weight gain in African-American women. Obesity Research, 11, 1526-1535. doi:10.1038/oby.2003.204
[31] Winicoff, B. (1983) The effects of birth spacing on child and maternal health. Studies in Family Planning, 14, 231- 245. doi:10.2307/1965748

Copyright © 2024 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.

Creative Commons License

This work and the related PDF file are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.