Association between gestational weight gain-related attitudes, pre-pregnancy weight and prenatal health behaviours

Prenatal health behaviors and pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) can influence gestational weight gain (GWG) attitudes, this specific connection has not been extensively studied among pregnant women in Saudi Arabia. This study aims to explore the association between GWG attitudes, pre-pregnancy weight, and prenatal health behaviors among Saudi pregnant women.

A correlational cross-sectional study was conducted in Najran, Saudi Arabia, from March to May 2024. The study included 413 pregnant women. An online self-reported questionnaire was used to collect data, which involved three main parts: participants' basic data, the Pregnancy and Weight Gain Attitude Scale (PWAS), and the Prenatal Health Behavior Scale (PHBS). Logistic regression was applied to explore the association between GWG attitudes, pre-pregnancy BMI, and prenatal health behaviours.

Logistic regression analysis showed that pre-pregnancy BMI outside the healthy range negatively predicts positive attitudes toward excessive gestational weight gain (EGWG). Being overweight [AOR = 0.434, P = 0.017, 95% CI [0.219-0.861]] or obese [AOR = 0.157, P = 0.001, 95% CI [0052-0.469]] significantly decreased the probability of positive attitudes toward EGWG when compared with normal weight. Furthermore, practising health-promoting behaviours during pregnancy [AOR = 0.132, P = 0.001, 95% CI [0.050-0.483]] significantly decreased the probability of a positive attitude toward EGWG.

This study emphasized the important role of pre-pregnancy BMI and prenatal health-promoting behaviours in maintaining appropriate GWG attitudes. Therefore, healthcare providers have to play a proactive role and start early by securing a normal BMI before pregnancy and educating women about prenatal health-promoting behaviours.