Socio-demographic Characteristics of a Cross-section of Pre-eclamptic Women in Yenagoa, Nigeria

Abstract

Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a multifactorial disorder that ultimately manifests as hypertension in the pregnant woman. This study was aimed at determining socio-demographic characteristics of PE among pregnant women attending tertiary Hospitals in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. A total of 182 pregnant women, consisting of 91 women with PE (gestation > 20 weeks, blood pressure ≥ 140/90 mmHg) and 91 normotensive pregnant women at gestation > 20 weeks were enrolled in the study by consent. These respondents filled out structured questionnaires that obtained data on sociodemographic variables (which are maternal age, parity, body mass index [BMI], systolic and diastolic blood pressure [SBP and DBP], educational level, family history of PE, occupation, the severity of PE, primipaternity, and gestational age of PE. Data was grouped into PE cases and control. Chi-square was used to determine associations between PE and sociodemographic variables for categorical data, whereas the independent T-test was used to determine differences between groups for parametric data. Data was considered significant at p < .05. Results showed that BMI (X^2 = 21.01, p = .00), SBP (T = 27.06, p = 0.00), DBP (T = 29.75, p = 0.00), educational level (X^2 = 14.15,p = .00), family history of pre-eclampsia (X^2 = 33.09,p = .00), and primipaternity (X^2 = 21.01,p= .00) showed significant associations with pre-eclampsia (p < .05). It is recommended that healthy weight management, blood pressure monitoring, adequate antenatal care, and family history counselling be promoted in health facilities in our setting.