Adequate weight gain in pregnancy: an analysis of its determinants in a cross-sectional study

Prenatal care is considered an important tool for promoting a healthy lifestyle, but has not been studied as a predictor for maternal weight gain during pregnancy, especially in Romania, where evidence about pregnancy and nutrition is scarce.

This study has aimed to explore the relationship between pre-gestational body mass index (BMI), adequacy of prenatal care and weight gain during pregnancy.

We carried a cross-sectional study on a sample of 400 pregnant women admitted at the "Cuza Voda" Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital in Iasi. Information regarding demographic characteristics, number of prenatal visits, date of the initial hospital record, nutritional education during pregnancy were registered throughout a questionnaire filled out by means of a direct interview. The anthropometric indicators analyzed were the pre-gestational BMI and the pregnancy weight gain. Data on caloric intake were obtained using a food frequency questionnaire.

Weight gain within the limits of the Institute of Medicine recommendations was noticed at 44.35% of the women who declared that they received nutritional advice compared to 40.7% of those who did not receive advice regarding diet during pregnancy. Overweight (53.1%) and obese women (66.7%) had a larger weight gain than those with a normal pre-pregnancy BMI (29.8%) (p<0.001). The variables that were identified with an effect on weight gain in this sample of pregnant women were: inadequate prenatal care, pre-gestational BMI and energy intake.

Identifying the pre-gestational BMI and diet changes as predictors of weight gain underline the importance of an individualized prenatal care.