Impact of Parity on Body Size Phenotype in Postmenopausal Women: KNHANES 2010-2012

Parity has been implicated in many health consequences for women in later life.

To determine whether there is an association between parity and body size phenotypes in postmenopausal women.

This study was based on data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted during 2010-2012. Of the 25 534 participants, data from 3347 postmenopausal women were included in the analysis.

In analyses stratified by the metabolically abnormal obese (MAO) and metabolically healthy and normal weight phenotypes, women with parities of 3-4 births or more than or equal to 5 births were significantly associated with the MAO phenotype (odds ratio [OR] 1.396 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.077-1.810] and OR 1.978 [1.392-2.811], respectively) compared with those with a parity of 1-2 births after adjusting for age, sociodemographic factors, lifestyle behaviors, and reproductive factors. A similar significant association of parity with the MAO phenotype was also found when we analyzed the parity number as a continuous variable in a comparison of the MAO and metabolically abnormal but normal weight phenotypes (OR 1.116 [1.012-1.232]). In grouping of the MAO and metabolically healthy but obese phenotypes, women who had experienced a parity of 3-4 births or more than or equal to 5 births were significantly associated with the MAO phenotype (OR 1.459 [1.025-2.076] and OR 1.989 [1.211-3.265], respectively) after adjustment for the above covariates.

Parity influenced the body size phenotype in postmenopausal women, and higher parity was independently associated with a higher risk of the MAO phenotype in postmenopausal women.