Gestational Weight Gain in Adolescent Compared with Adult Pregnancies: An Age-Specific Body Mass Index Approach

To determine current trends in gestational weight gain (GWG) in adolescents, using adolescent specific body mass index (BMI), in relation to the 2009 Institute of Medicine GWG guidelines.

Population-based retrospective cohort using Ohio birth records (2006-2012). Analyses were limited to primiparous women with singleton nonanomalous live births and available data on BMI and GWG. GWG percentiles were stratified by maternal age (less than 15, 15-17, 18-19, and 20-34 years old) and prepregnancy BMI category. Adolescent specific BMI definitions were used for mothers less than 19 years.

A total of 1,034,552 births occurred during the study period; 326,368 were included for analysis. Less than one-quarter of women gained the recommended amount of weight (20.6%). A large proportion of pregnancies had excessive GWG: 59.8% of mothers less than 15 years of age, compared with older adolescent (59.9%, 62.6%) and adult mothers (64.6%), P < .001. Average, median, and IQRs of GWG were similar for all women within the same BMI category, regardless of age. Except in underweight women, the average GWG was at the high end or above the 2009 Institute of Medicine recommendations, for adolescents in all BMI groups, similar to adults, median 35 (IQR 24-47) pounds.

Current GWG trends indicate that excessive weight gain is nearly as common in adolescents as in adult mothers.