Prevalence of Obesity in Adolescents with History of Pregnancy and Associated Factors in Korea

BACKGROUND The pregnancy was a risk factor for excessive weight gain for women. However, there is no information about the prevalence of obesity and its relationship with a history of pregnancy in girls. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate differences in the prevalence of obesity in adolescent females with a history of pregnancy and factors associated with it, in Korea. METHODS In 2009, 69 of 34,247 female students revealed that they had experienced pregnancy in response to the 5(th) Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBWS-V) project by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDCP). The body mass index (BMI) and experienced pregnancy categories of the KYRBWS-V were assessed, and, for data analysis, the independent t-test, chi-square test, and multivariate logistic regression were used. RESULTS The risk of pregnancy was increased by approximately 47% per unit increase in age, and 331% per unit increase in depression, respectively. Conversely, the risk decreased by 19% per unit increase in BMI and 33% per unit increase (ranged from 1: very rich to 5: very poor) in the family economic state. CONCLUSION Obesity in adolescent females is minimally affected by a history of pregnancy, if at all, despite the fact that pregnancy was a risk factor for excessive weight gain in women. However, adolescent females with a history of pregnancy have higher levels of depression than do normal peers in Korea.