The effect of interpregnancy interval on obesity/overweight among women in the first trimester of pregnancy

Objective To determine the effect of interpregnancy interval (IPI) on obesity/overweight among pregnant Sudanese women in early pregnancy. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at Saad Abu-Alela Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan, from January to December 2015. Women with a singleton pregnancy and at least one previous pregnancy were enrolled in the first trimester. A questionnaire was used to collect clinical and sociodemographic data from the participants, and current body mass index (BMI) was calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. Results Among 1045 participants, 344 (32.9%), 424 (40.6%), and 277 (26.5%) women had short ( 30 months), respectively. BMI indicated 18 (1.7%), 408 (39.0%), 381 (36.5%), and 238 (22.8%) women were underweight (<18.5), normal weight (18.5–24.9), overweight (25.0–29.9), and obese (≥30.0), respectively. Age and proportion using contraceptives were increased among women with long IPI (both P<0.001). When compared with women of normal weight, overweight women and obese women were more likely to have a long IPI (odds ratio 1.72, 95% confidence interval 1.08–2.93; and 1.71, 1.05–2.94, respectively). Conclusion Long IPI was associated with obesity and overweight, which were prevalent among pregnant Sudanese women. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.