PARITY AND THE PREVALENCE OF OVERWEIGHT

Objective: To assess the association between previous term pregnancies and the prevalence of overweight in a group of urban women, controlling for the influence of age. Methods: One thousand twelve women, living in middle and low socioeconomic areas of Mexico City, were interviewed at home and their reproductive histories studied. Height and weight were measured in a clinical setting using controlled procedures. Overweight (BMI > 25) was the dependent variable used to calculate odds ratios and to perform a multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: Age and parity were significantly associated with the prevalence of overweight. Controlling for age, two or more previous pregnancies significantly increased the magnitude of the association. Conclusion: During the reproductive years parity seems to increase the risk of overweight in low and middle socioeconomic level urban women.