Socioeconomic Status and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors among Pregnant Women in the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly, Central Region, Ghana

Abstract

Introduction: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) contribute 74% of global mortalities, with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the lead. Higher rates of CVD have been reported in reproductive women, with the occurrence of CVD in pregnancy posing a problem to both the attending physician and the unborn child. Aim: The study aimed to investigate the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and CVD risk factors among Pregnant Women (PW) in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana. Methodology: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted in three health facilities in the Cape Coast Metropolis using systematic random sampling to select 160 PW attending the three antenatal clinics. Participants included those with confirmed pregnancies who were receiving antenatal care and provided informed consent to participate in the study within the randomly selected hospitals with the CCMA. The Mediterranean Diet tool was used to assess participants' dietary patterns, with a score of 9 or above indicating adherence. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics 27 and R 4.3.1. Socio-demographic details, anthropometrics, maternal characteristics, dietary patterns, and blood pressure were collected and analysed. Results and Findings: The findings revealed that 25 (15.6%), 51 (31.9%), 64 (40%) and 20 (12.5%) had no risk factor, one risk factor, two risk factors, and three risk factors, respectively.  About 84.4% of the participants had at least one risk factor.  Higher SES was associated with increased CVD risk factors.  About 56.9% of the participants were either overweight or obese, 7.5% had high blood pressure, 51.9% had a poor dietary pattern, and 37.5% were physically inactive. Age (Estimate = 0.695, p < 0.001) and marital status (Estimate = 4.091, p = 0.010) exerted a positive and significant influence on blood pressure.  SES (Estimate = -0.002, p = 0.957), employment (Estimate = 0.737, p = 0.547), and educational level (Estimate = 1.198, p = 0.1405) showed no significant effect on BP. Age (Estimate = 0.408, p < 0.001) and marital status (Estimate = 4.318, p < 0.001) exhibited a substantial positive influence on body mass index (BMI). In contrast, SES (Estimate = 0.037, p = 0.109), parity (Estimate = 0.559, p = 0.174), and job status (Estimate = -0.619, p = 0.370) demonstrated a lower, non-significant influence on BMI. Conclusion: This study highlights the significant impact of age and marital status on blood pressure and body mass index among PW, while socioeconomic status exhibited no meaningful influence on cardiovascular disease risk factors. Employment status demonstrated a notable negative association with dietary patterns, underscoring the complex interplay between socio-demographic factors and health outcomes in this population.