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Assessment of Obesity Among Pregnant Women in the Volta Region of Ghana

Authors

  • George Aboagye

    Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Volta Region, Ghana

  • Gloria Pobee

    Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Volta Region, Ghana

  • Jonathan Annan-Asare

    Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Volta Region, Ghana and Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ashanti Region, Ghana

  • Theodosia Adom

    Nutrition Research Centre, Radiological and Medical Sciences Research Institute, Greater Accra Region

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29169/1927-5951.2024.14.06

Keywords:

Obesity, Pregnant Women, Gestational Weight Gain, Age, Food Intake, Physical Activity

Abstract

Background: Obesity remains a rising challenge in both developed and developing countries, and maternal obesity has become one of the most occurring risk factors, which can lead to gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia and prematurity in obstetric practice for both the mother and the child.

Pregnancy is a timeline where obesity cannot be effectively worked on as the mother is more likely to live unhealthy lifestyle such as unhealthy diet, binge eating and less physical activity, which would most likely affect foetal health. This is an issue as most pregnant women in Volta Region are either overweight or obese. This research assessed the prevalence of obesity among pregnant women in the Volta Region of Ghana.

Material and Method: A full structured questionnaire was administered to 220 participants based on their knowledge of obesity and its effect on pregnancy, food choices, mealtimes and portion sizes, as well as physical activity during pregnancy. Body weight and height were measured using standardized procedures and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Overweight and obesity were defined based on WHO criteria. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 20.0.

Results: Based on excessive gestational weight gain, prevalence of obesity among the pregnant women was 54% (119). Majority of respondents had poor knowledge of obesity and its effect on the mother and the foetus, which represented a significant correlation (p< 0.0001) between their caloric intake and high gestational weight gain. Physical activity showed no significant effect (p = 0.2) on gestational weight gain. However, pre-pregnancy BMI of the expectant mothers was directly linked to high gestational weight gain with age being the significant risk factor (p<0.02) for obesity before pregnancy.

Conclusion: This research found limited awareness of excessive gestational weight gain and its health consequences among pregnant women and the unborn baby. Therefore, monitoring gestational weight gain using diverse approaches to integrate and manage the condition in routine antenatal care needs consideration.

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Published

2024-10-21

Issue

Vol. 14 (2024)

Section

Articles

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How to Cite

Assessment of Obesity Among Pregnant Women in the Volta Region of Ghana. (2024). Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences , 14, 41-53. https://doi.org/10.29169/1927-5951.2024.14.06

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