Jules Destin Djeufouata^1,, Walter Ebot Ojong¹, Theophile Nana Njamen², Jules Clement Nguedia Assob^{1, 3}, Bruno Phelix Telefo⁴

Although poor eating habits and lifestyle factors have been reported to be associated with metabolic syndrome (MS), little is known about this association in Cameroonian pregnant women. The aim of this study was to describe lifestyle choices and eating habits in Cameroonian pregnant women, and determine their association with MS and its components. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 859 participants aged 17-45 years (mean ± SD: 27.3±5.6) from the Littoral and Centre Regions of Cameroon. Height, weight, serum lipid profile, fasting blood glucose and arterial blood pressure were measured using standard procedures. Information concerning the lifestyle, eating habits and sociodemographic characteristics were recorded using structured questionnaire. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed using a slightly modified of National Cholesterol Education Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Statistical analysis was performed through descriptive statistics, including mean, standard deviation, frequency and logistic regression analysis in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version 23) software. Statistical significance was set at p-value <0.05. The proportion of participants who reported eating fruits and vegetables occasionally, sugary foods and drinks ≥ 5 times a week and fatty foods ≥ 5 times a week were 77.4%, 23.7% and 22.8% respectively, 41.6% and 39.8% had unhealthy (long and short ) sleeping duration and lack of physical exercise respectively. Also, 54.8% were alcohol consumers. Non-sedentary participants (OR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.29 - 0.85) had lower odds to develop metabolic syndrome compared to sedentary participants. Participants with short sleep and long sleep duration were 5.1 and 2.4 times respectively more likely to have MS than those with normal sleep duration. Participants who had vigorous activities or physical exercise (OR: 0.39; 95% CI: 0.18 - 0.82; p: 0.014) where significantly less likely to experience MS than those with lack of physical exercise after controlling for potential covariates (age, parity, gravidity, BMI). Moreover, high consumption of sugary drinks, fatty foods, alcohol consumption (OR: 2.0; 95% CI: 1.12 - 3.58; p: 0.019) were associated with MS. Our findings suggest that, adoption of healthy lifestyle and dietary habits should be encouraged to reduce the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its abnormal components. Further prospective studies are needed to consolidate our findings.

metabolic syndrome, pregnancy, lifestyle, risk factors, eating habits, association