Abstract / Summary
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and maternal obesity are metabolic disorders commonly encountered during pregnancy. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of obesity and GDM and assess their impact on pregnancy outcomes in a cohort of pregnant women from Kano, Northern Nigeria. This longitudinal hospital-based study recruited pregnant women attending antenatal care at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation. GDM was diagnosed using the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups ( IADPSG) /World Health Organization (WHO) criteria following a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Participants were followed prospectively until delivery. Sociodemographic, clinical, and anthropometric data were collected. Maternal obesity was defined as a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m² according to WHO criteria. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to examine the associations between obesity, GDM, and adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Of the 250 pregnant women recruited, complete data were available for 215 participants who completed the study. The mean age of the study participants was 30.6 ± 5.6 years. Overall, 59.1% of the participants were multiparous (parity 1–4), while 34.0% were grand multiparous (parity ≥ 5). Among the study participants, 4.7% had concurrent overweight and GDM, while 8.4% had coexisting obesity and GDM; the overall prevalence of GDM was 14.9%. Both maternal obesity and GDM were associated with adverse fetal and maternal outcomes. Compared with either condition alone, the coexistence of obesity and GDM was associated with worse pregnancy outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of preconception weight optimization and lifestyle measures to reduce the burden of GDM.