ALVES, A. V.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/0537167862627444; ALVES, Aline Vieira.
Resumo:
Obesity is considered a public health issue, as it has increased significantly in developed as in
developing countries, becoming a worldwide epidemic that affects the population in general.
In the past few years it has been observed an increased prevalence in pregnant women, which
is associated with a number of pregnancy, maternal and neonatal complications. The aims of
this study are to know more about the prevalence of overweight and obesity in pregnant
women; to calculate the BMI, based on anthropometric data collected from the perinatal form
and check the relation between overweight or obesity and maternal age, number of
pregnancies, number of prenatal appointments, level of education and marital status. This is a
documentary and descriptive study, with a quantitative approach, performed in a Family
Health Unit in Cajazeiras-PB. The target population consisted of 201 pregnant women who
received prenatal care in the previously mentioned unit from April 2009 to October 2013 and
the sample of 156 pregnant women of those who met the inclusion criteria. Data collection
was conducted during the month of August (2014), after hearing the mandatory opinion of the
Research Ethics Committee from Santa Maria College. Data were analyzed using descriptive
statistics and results presented in tables and charts, also the software SPSS, version 21, to
correlate BMI and the proposed variables. Results showed that married pregnant women,
between 20 and 35 years old, who had 9 or more years of formal education prevailed.
According to anthropometric evaluation most of the women were overweigh / obese. When
establishing a correlation between BMI and the variables, results showed statistical
dependence between BMI and age (p = 0.038), marital status (p = 0.013) and the number of
visits (p = 0.037). It can be concluded, then, that overweight and obesity in women during
pregnancy need further attention face to national policies regarding women's health through
effects on maternal health and fetal and perinatal complications, which makes necessary the
introduction of preventive and promotional actions incorporating women as active subjects in
their own healthcare.