Relationship between Socio-demographic Variables and Minor Discomforts in Pregnancy: A Retrospective Survey in Nigeria

Many pregnant women experience discomforts during their pregnancy that are not severe, but may reduce their well-being. These minor discomforts such as vomiting, heartburn, and leg cramps can be troublesome and may affect the women’s quality of life.

This research aims to determine the relationship between socio-demographic variables and minor discomforts in pregnancy.
  

This is an analytical cross-sectional study. Participants were 202 pregnant women in Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State, Nigeria. Systematic sampling was used for their recruitment. A self-report questionnaire was used for surveying socio-demographic characteristics and assessing the pattern and severity of minor discomforts. Chi-square test and ordinal logistic regression analysis were used for analyzing the collected data at 95% Confidence Interval (CI).

The age range of most women (42.1%) was 20-24 years. Most of them had their 2-4th pregnancy (37.6%) and a tertiary education (62.4%). There was a significant relationship between the variables of age, number of pregnancies and occupation and the occurrence of minor discomforts in pregnancy (P< 0.05). There was a significant relationship between the occupation and duration of minor discomforts (P < 0.05), and between educational levels and mode of treatment for minor discomforts (P=0.05). The Odds Ratios (OR) in ordinal logistic regression models indicated that with one unit change in age, number of pregnancies and occupation, the duration of minor discomforts was 1.05 (95% CI;  0.457-1.722, P=0.0001), 1.07 (95% CI; 0.316-2.021, P=0.0001) and 1.07 (95% CI; 0.662-2.063, P=0.0001) times more likely to change, respectively.

Healthcare professionals should consider the factors of age, number of pregnancies, and occupation when providing care to pregnant women. More research to address the minor discomforts in pregnancy is recommended using different methods.