Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

Gestational weight change in women attending a group antenatal program aimed at addressing obesity in pregnancy in New South Wales, Australia.

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of obesity in Australia among women of childbearing age has doubled over the past 2 decades. Obesity is associated with complications for women and their newborns during pregnancy and birth. Limiting gestational weight gain can reduce perinatal complications and postnatal weight retention, but evidence supporting interventions designed to assist obese pregnant women to manage their weight gain in pregnancy is inconclusive. The aim of this article is to describe the gestational weight change of a cohort of obese pregnant women enrolled in a group antenatal program aimed at assisting them to limit their weight gain in pregnancy to levels recommended by the US Institute of Medicine.

METHODS: The program was jointly developed by 2 metropolitan maternity services in New South Wales, Australia. This is a descriptive study that presents select data for women enrolled in the program. Body mass index (BMI), prepregnancy weight, last pregnancy weight, and selected clinical outcomes were recorded for 82 obese women enrolled in the program during the evaluation period of 14 months. Data were analyzed using nonparametric tests: the chi-square and the Mann-Whitney U tests.

RESULTS: Parity was associated with prepregnancy BMI, with women of higher parity having higher BMIs. Women with higher BMIs had a significantly lower gestational weight gain than women with lower BMIs. Overall, 27% of women enrolled in the program gained the recommended 5 to 9 kg, 27% gained less than this amount, and 46% gained more.

DISCUSSION: Evidence supporting interventions designed to assist obese pregnant women to manage their weight gain in pregnancy is lacking. This innovative, collaborative program shows promise, as early results compare favorably with international comparisons.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app