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Multidisciplinary Approach to Obesity Management: A Case Report

Multidisciplinary Approach to Obesity Management: A Case Report

Published on: May 30, 2025

Post-partum weight change patterns in the WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study.

Adelheid W Onyango¹, Laurie Nommsen-Rivers, Amani Siyam

¹Department of Nutrition for Health and Development, World Health Organization, Geneva 27, Switzerland. onyangoa@who.int

Maternal & Child Nutrition

|February 23, 2011

Summary

Maternal postpartum weight change varies globally, with factors like maternal weight, parity, and cultural practices influencing outcomes. Breastfeeding intensity had minimal impact on weight retention or loss.

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Area of Science:

Maternal Health
Human Nutrition
Growth Monitoring

Background:

Understanding postpartum weight changes is crucial for maternal health.
Factors influencing postpartum weight retention or loss are not fully understood.
Global variations in maternal weight change patterns require investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

To describe postpartum weight change patterns across six World Health Organization (WHO) Multicentre Growth Reference Study (MGRS) sites.
To explore variables explaining variations in maternal weight change.
To investigate the influence of breastfeeding, maternal characteristics, and cultural factors.

Main Methods:

Longitudinal study of 1743 mothers and breastfed infants from birth to 24 months postpartum.
Regular maternal weight measurements and monitoring of breastfeeding, height, maternal age, parity, and employment status.
Comparative analysis of weight change patterns across diverse international sites.

Main Results:

Significant variations in postpartum weight change patterns were observed among the six study sites.
Mothers in Ghana and Oman experienced minimal weight loss or weight gain, while mothers in Brazil, India, Norway, and the USA lost weight initially, followed by stabilization.
Maternal obesity was associated with less weight loss, and parity influenced weight loss differently across sites and timeframes.

Conclusions:

Postpartum weight change is influenced by a complex interplay of factors, including maternal characteristics and potentially culturally defined mother-care practices.
Breastfeeding intensity and duration had a limited effect on weight change patterns.
Further research into ethnocultural contexts is needed to understand gestational weight gain and postpartum weight loss.