Ahmed Mustafa I, Bashir Amal O, Hassan Ahmed A, Adam Ishag
Faculty of Medicine, University of Medical Science and Technology, Kigali, Rwanda.
Faculty of Public Health and Health Informatics, University of Umm Al Qura, Mekkah, Saudi Arabia.
J Health Popul Nutr. 2025 Jun 7;44(1):192. doi: 10.1186/s41043-025-00938-8.
Globally, there is an increasing trend of obesity in pregnant women, and Sub-Saharan Africa is not an exception. Recently, hemoglobin and anemia have received more attention as predictors of maternal obesity. No such study exists in Rwanda. Thus, the current study aimed to investigate the prevalence and the factors associated with obesity, including hemoglobin and anemia, among pregnant women in Kigali, Rwanda.
A cross-sectional study was conducted in two hospitals in Kigali, Rwanda, from June to August 2024. A questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data. Weight, height, and hemoglobin were measured using standard procedures. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed.
A total of 445 pregnant women were recruited. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) age and parity were 30.0 (26.0‒35.0) years and 1 (0‒3), respectively. Of the 445 women, 143 (32.1%), 249 (56.0%), and 53 (11.9%) were of normal weight, overweight, and obese, respectively. One hundred and seven (24.0%) pregnant women had anemia. In multivariate multinomial regression, no significant association was found between age, parity, residency, education, maternal occupation, hemoglobin level, anemia, and overweight status. Being from rural areas (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16‒5.56) and being a housewife (AOR = 4.34, 95% 1.42‒13.26) were significantly associated with obesity. While an increase in hemoglobin level was associated with obesity (AOR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.02‒1.60), anemia was inversely negatively associated with obesity (AOR = 0.33, 95% CI 0.12‒0.93).
This study indicates that 12% of the pregnant women in Rwanda were obese. Hemoglobin and anemia are associated with maternal obesity in Rwanda. There is a need for more efforts in nutritional programs targeting pregnant women to combat maternal obesity in Rwanda. Future research is recommended to explore the impact of maternal obesity on maternal and perinatal health.
在全球范围内，孕妇肥胖呈上升趋势，撒哈拉以南非洲也不例外。最近，血红蛋白和贫血作为孕产妇肥胖的预测指标受到了更多关注。卢旺达尚无此类研究。因此，本研究旨在调查卢旺达基加利孕妇肥胖的患病率及其相关因素，包括血红蛋白和贫血情况。
2024年6月至8月在卢旺达基加利的两家医院进行了一项横断面研究。使用问卷收集社会人口统计学数据。采用标准程序测量体重、身高和血红蛋白。进行多项逻辑回归分析。
共招募了445名孕妇。年龄中位数（四分位间距[IQR]）和产次分别为30.0（26.0 - 35.0）岁和1（0 - 3）。在这445名女性中，体重正常、超重和肥胖的分别有143人（32.1%）、249人（56.0%）和53人（11.9%）。107名（24.0%）孕妇患有贫血。在多变量多项回归中，未发现年龄、产次、居住地、教育程度、孕产妇职业、血红蛋白水平、贫血与超重状态之间存在显著关联。来自农村地区（调整优势比[AOR]=2.54，95%置信区间[CI]1.16 - 5.56）和家庭主妇（AOR = 4.34，95% 1.42 - 13.26）与肥胖显著相关。虽然血红蛋白水平升高与肥胖相关（AOR = 1.28，95% CI 1.02 - 1.60），但贫血与肥胖呈负相关（AOR = 0.33，95% CI 0.12 - 0.93）。
本研究表明，卢旺达12%的孕妇肥胖。血红蛋白和贫血与卢旺达孕产妇肥胖有关。需要在针对孕妇的营养项目上做出更多努力，以应对卢旺达的孕产妇肥胖问题。建议未来的研究探索孕产妇肥胖对孕产妇和围产期健康的影响。
