| Title | The effects of obesity and weight gain in young women on obstetric outcomes. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2009 |
| Authors | Magriples, Urania, Trace S. Kershaw, Sharon Schindler Rising, Claire Westdahl, and Jeannette R. Ickovics |
| Journal | American journal of perinatology |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pagination | 365-71 |
| Date Published | 2009 May |
| ISSN | 1098-8785 |
| Keywords | Adolescent, Adult, Birth Weight, Body Mass Index, Causality, Cesarean Section, Connecticut, Female, Georgia, Humans, Obesity, Obstetric Labor Complications, Odds Ratio, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications, Pregnancy Outcome, Prospective Studies, Weight Gain, Young Adult |
| Abstract | We investigated body mass index (BMI) and weight gain among pregnant women (ages 14 to 25) and assessed the relationship of BMI and weight gain on birth outcomes. We performed a secondary analysis of 841 women enrolled in a randomized controlled trial receiving prenatal care in two university-affiliated clinics. Almost half the patients were overweight or obese. An average of 32.3 +/- 23.6 pounds was gained in pregnancy with only 25.3% gaining the recommended weight and over half overgaining. Weight gain had a significant relationship to birth weight. Multivariate analysis showed that prepregnancy BMI but not weight gain was a significant predictor of cesarean delivery (odds ratio [OR] 1.91, confidence interval [CI] 1.24 to 2.69, P < 0.0001). When large-for-gestational-age infants were removed from the analysis, there was still a significant effect of BMI on cesarean delivery (OR 1.76, CI 1.17 to 2.66, P = 0.007) but not of weight gain (OR 1.45, CI 0.94 to 2.17, P = 0.093). Prepregnancy BMI is a more significant predictor of cesarean delivery than pregnancy weight gain in young women. |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10995-010-0650-3 |
| Alternate Journal | Am J Perinatol |
