Prevalence and characteristics associated with gestational weight gain adequacy

Area of Science:

• Maternal Health
• Public Health Nutrition
• Obstetrics

Background:

• Gestational weight gain (GWG) recommendations aim to optimize maternal and infant outcomes.
• Deviations from recommended GWG are common and linked to adverse health consequences.
• Prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) is a critical factor influencing GWG patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of adequate, inadequate, and excessive GWG based on 2009 Institute of Medicine guidelines.
• To identify demographic, behavioral, psychosocial, and medical factors associated with inadequate and excessive GWG.
• To stratify these associations by prepregnancy BMI categories.

Main Methods:

• Utilized cross-sectional, population-based data from the 2010-2011 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System.
• Included women with term, singleton deliveries across 28 US states.
• Estimated adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for GWG deviations, stratified by prepregnancy BMI.

Main Results:

• Overall, 20.9% gained inadequately, 32.0% adequately, and 47.2% excessively.
• Prepregnancy BMI significantly influenced GWG; underweight women had less excessive gain, while overweight/obese women had more excessive gain.
• Underweight and severely obese women showed increased odds of inadequate gain. Demographic factors varied by BMI, and smoking cessation was linked to excessive gain in normal-weight and obese women.

Conclusions:

• A majority of women experienced gestational weight gain outside recommended ranges.
• Understanding factors associated with inadequate or excessive GWG is crucial for identifying at-risk populations.
• These insights can inform the development of targeted interventions to improve maternal and infant health outcomes.