Association between musculoskeletal pain and eating practices in high-risk pregnant women admitted to the mother-child unit of a federal university hospital of Maranhão/Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: Pregnancy is a period in which physiological, physical, emotional and social changes occur that can bring negative experiences to women. Knowing, preventing and treating them is essential to guarantee the health and well-being of the mother and baby, especially in cases where the risks of negative outcomes are naturally greater, such as in high-risk pregnancies. Objective: To investigate the relationship between generalized musculoskeletal pain and nutritional status, diet quality and gestational factors in high-risk pregnant women admitted to the maternal and child unit of a Federal University Hospital in the state of Maranhão, Brazil. Methods: Sectional study with the participation of 194 women classified as having high-risk pregnancies. To evaluate eating practices, the Eating Habits Assessment Form adapted from the Dietary Guide for the Brazilian Population was used. To assess musculoskeletal pain, the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI-B) was applied. Sociodemographic, gestational and anthropometric information was obtained through anamnesis and access to the medical record. The association between exposure variables and outcome was verified using a logistic regression model in which the presence of four or more pain sites was considered as generalized pain (R-4.3.0 for Windows). Results: Study participants were 28.7 ±7.0 years old; 29.2 ±7.6 weeks of gestation were mostly sedentary (n=186; 95.9%) and the main causes of hospitalization were urinary tract infection (13.7%; n=34), gestational diabetes (10.9%; n=27) and premature childbirth (9.7%; n=24). A total of 30.4% (n=59) were classified as healthy eating, 49% (n=95) as on the way to healthy eating and 20.6% (n=40) as unhealthy and pleasurable eating. Around 30% (n=55) reported feeling pain, 12.9% (n=25) in four or more locations (pain intensity = mild; mean = 1.6 ± 2.7). In the logistic regression model, it was observed that premature labor (OR=10.6; p<0.001) and urinary tract infection (OR=4.1; p=0.02) were the variables with the strongest association with generalized pain. Conclusion: In the high-risk pregnant women investigated, the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain was 30% and the majority had
a healthy diet or were on the path to a healthy diet according to the Food Guide for the Brazilian Population. The gestational variables, that is, reason for hospitalization – premature childbirth and urinary tract infection – were those that most increased the chance of generalized musculoskeletal pain.