Association between weight gain, dietary practices and sociodemographic attributes among post-partum women in Arusha Urban, Tanzania

Abstract

Overweight and obesity among women of reproductive age are a concern of public health significance. In Tanzania, various cultures perceive post-partum period as a delicate period where women participate in various habitual and traditional rituals as a way to protect themselves and their newborns. Currently, there is minimal information on the magnitude of post-partum overweight and obesity. A prospective health facility-based study using a multistage sampling is implemented to determine the magnitude of overweight and obesity among post-partum women six to twelve weeks after childbirth and their associating factors among Arusha Urban. The findings demonstrate an association between participants’ sociodemographic characteristics such as age, marital status, education level, number of children, physical activities, contraceptive use, occupation and post-partum dietary practices and weight gain. Less than 50% of respondents achieved minimum dietary diversity (40.9%). The consumption of dark green leafy vegetables was significant (p < 0.01) to minimum dietary diversity, likewise to other fruits and vegetables; legumes, nuts and seeds; and eggs (p < 0.01). Overweight and obese participants were 54.3% at six weeks and 59.1% at 12 weeks. During pregnancy, 25.2% had recommended weight gain while 60.9% and 13.8% had inadequate and excessive weight gain respectively. The results show that gestational weight gain, maternal age, exposure to overweight messages, and minimum dietary diversity were significant with post-partum increase in BMI. The research suggests improving nutrition education, individual counseling, screening and routine monitoring of women’s nutrition status at service delivery points and in the community.