title: Riyadh Mother and Baby Multicenter Cohort Study: The Cohort Profile.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effects of non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity, on the mother and the infant.
  
  
  METHODS
  A multicentre cohort study was conducted in three hospitals in the city of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. All Saudi women and their babies who delivered in participating hospitals were eligible for recruitment. Data on socio-demographic characteristics in addition to the maternal and neonatal outcomes of pregnancy were collected. The cohort demographic profile was recorded and the prevalence of maternal conditions including gestational diabetes, pre-gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders in pregnancy and obesity were estimated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total number of women who delivered in participating hospitals during the study period was 16,012 of which 14,568 women participated in the study. The mean age of the participants was 29 ± 5.9 years and over 40% were university graduates. Most of the participants were housewives, 70% were high or middle income and 22% were exposed to secondhand smoke. Of the total cohort, 24% were married to a first cousin. More than 68% of the participants were either overweight or obese. The preterm delivery rate was 9%, while 1.5% of the deliveries were postdate. The stillbirth rate was 13/1000 live birth. The prevalence of gestational diabetes was 24% and that of pre-gestational diabetes was 4.3%. The preeclampsia prevalence was 1.1%. The labour induction rate was 15.5% and the cesarean section rate was 25%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pregnant women in Saudi Arabia have a unique demographic profile. The prevalence of obesity and diabetes in pregnancy are among the highest in the world.
authors.affiliation: Chair of Evidence Based Health Care and Knowledge Translation, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.|Department of Community and Family Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Hayfaa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wahabi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.|College of Medicine, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Amel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fayed
authors.affiliation: Chair of Evidence Based Health Care and Knowledge Translation, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Samia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Esmaeil
authors.affiliation: Chair of Evidence Based Health Care and Knowledge Translation, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Rasmieh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alzeidan
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mamoun
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elawad
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Rabeena
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tabassum
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Shehnaz
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hansoti
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Education, College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdul-Aziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mohie Edein
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Magzoup
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Education, College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdul-Aziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Abdul Aziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Hanan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Al-Kadri
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Abdul Aziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Elham
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Elsherif
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Khaled University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Hazim
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Al-Mandil
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Khaled University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ghadeer
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Al-Shaikh
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Informatics and E-Learning Unit, Medical Education Department, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Nasria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zakaria
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D050497:Stillbirth / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult