Knowledge of weight gain during pregnancy among Nigerian women.

Abstract

Background: Maternal obesity and excessive pregnancy weight gain are linked to an increased risk of perinatal mortality. There is little published evidence proving Nigerian pregnant women's understanding of these issues, their effects, and management solutions. The purpose of this study was to measure Nigerian pregnant women's knowledge of weight gain during pregnancy and their knowledge of safe ways to manage it.

Methods: The cross-sectional research design was used for this study. The convenience sampling method was used to collect data using an online survey developed from validated questionnaires used in prior studies on 100 women who were members of a Nigerian Facebook group. Cronbach alpha was used to test the instrument's reliability, while descriptive statistics and chi-square were utilised to analyse the data collected. All hypotheses were evaluated at the 0.05 level of significance.

Results: The results of this study showed that the majority (57.7% and 84.5%) of Nigerian women have a high level of knowledge of weight gain and safe ways of managing it, but it was also deduced from the results that a significant number (42.3%) of the respondents had a low level of knowledge of weight gain especially in the area of neonatal risks associated with greater maternal weight gain. There was statistically no significant difference between the knowledge of weight gain and socio-demographic characteristics such as marital status and highest level of education, occupational status, religion of the respondents and their knowledge of weight gain, but there was a statistical difference between those who currently care for children.

Conclusion: Nigerian women demonstrate a high level of knowledge of weight gain during pregnancy and safe ways or methods to manage it. But despite this optimistic conclusion, most of their responses show that many of the women were unaware of the neonatal risks associated with greater maternal weight gain. It is recommended that more interventions geared towards mothers getting a better understanding of these issues may serve as a motivator for them to maintain and manage their weight gain during pregnancy to enhance their baby's prognosis and to avoid possible neonatal consequences of their actions.