Existing maternal obesity guidelines may increase inequalities between ethnic groups: a national epidemiological study of 502,474 births in England

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

Research Article

Naveed Sattar¹  Nicola Heslehurst²  Judith Rankin²  Daghni Rajasingam³  John Wilkinson⁴  Carolyn D Summerbell⁴ 

[1] Faculty of Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK;Institute of Health & Society, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK;Obstetrics, Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Hospital, London, UK;School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Health, Durham University, England, UK;

关键词: Obesity;    Pregnancy;    Epidemiology;    Inequalities;    Ethnic group;    Asian;    Guidelines;    Body Mass Index (BMI);   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2393-12-156

 received in 2012-08-08, accepted in 2012-12-07,  发布年份 2012

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAsians are at increased risk of morbidity at a lower body mass index (BMI) than European Whites, particularly relating to metabolic risk. UK maternal obesity guidelines use general population BMI criteria to define obesity, which do not represent the risk of morbidity among Asian populations. This study compares incidence of first trimester obesity using Asian-specific and general population BMI criteria.MethodA retrospective epidemiological study of 502,474 births between 1995 and 2007, from 34 maternity units across England. Data analyses included a comparison of trends over time between ethnic groups using Asian-specific and general population BMI criteria. Logistic regression estimated odds ratios for first trimester obesity among ethnic groups following adjustment for population demographics.ResultsBlack and South Asian women have a higher incidence of first trimester obesity compared with White women. This is most pronounced for Pakistani women following adjustment for population structure (OR 2.19, 95% C.I. 2.08, 2.31). There is a twofold increase in the proportion of South Asian women classified as obese when using the Asian-specific BMI criteria rather than general population BMI criteria. The incidence of obesity among Black women is increasing at the most rapid rate over time (p=0.01).ConclusionThe twofold increase in maternal obesity among South Asians when using Asian-specific BMI criteria highlights inequalities among pregnant women. A large proportion of South Asian women are potentially being wrongly assigned to low risk care using current UK guidelines to classify obesity and determine care requirements. Further research is required to identify if there is any improvement in pregnancy outcomes if Asian-specific BMI criteria are utilised in the clinical management of maternal obesity to ensure the best quality of care is provided for women irrespective of ethnicity.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Heslehurst et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2012