Effect of pregnancy weight gain on infant birth weight among mothers attending antenatal care from private clinics in Mekelle City, Northern Ethiopia: A facility based follow-up study

Abstract

IntroductionWeight gain during pregnancy is an important indicator of maternal and fetal nutrition during pregnancy. However, information regarding the effect of pregnancy weight gain on birth weight is lacking from developing countries.ObjectiveTo determine the effect of pregnancy weight gain on the newborn’s birth weight in mothers attending antenatal care (ANC) services from private clinics.MethodsHealth facility-based follow-up study was conducted among 332 pregnant mothers attending their antenatal care in Mekelle city, from October 2016 to June 2017. Before 28 weeks of gestation, pregnancy weight was collected retrospectively, then, mothers were followed-up until the time of infant delivery to record their birth weight. Data were also collected by a structured questionnaire and checklists and analyzed using SPSS version 21. The relationship between dependent and independent variables was assessed and presented using descriptive statistics, as well as t-test, ANOVA, and multivariable linear regression analysis. Variables:—pre-pregnancy BMI, maternal age, parity, decision making power on monetary resources, pregnancy interval, availability of housemaid, women dietary diversity score, maternal occupation, and pregnancy weight gain were included in the multivariable analysis.ResultsMaternal weight increased monthly at a mean ± SD rate of 2 ± 0.7 kg in the second trimester, and 1.5 ± 0.7 kg in the third trimester. The mean ± SD of pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and total pregnancy weight gain was 23.8 ± 4.6 kg/m2, and 12 ± 2.8 kg respectively. The mean ± SD of birth weight was 3440 ± 542 grams. Weight gain has a significant effect on infant birth weight, a 1 kg increase in the pregnancy weight was associated with 94 g increase in BW (β = 97, 95% CI: 73–120). After dividing the pre-pregnancy weight into four groups (< 18.5, 18.5–24.9, 25–29.9 and ≥30) kg/m2 based on the Institute of Medicine (IOM), we found a statistically significant birth weight difference between each group.ConclusionPregnancy weight gain has a significant effect on birth weight. Thus, ANC counseling services should focus on maternal weight gain to prevent sub-optimal birth weight.

Maternal Anthropometry and Dietary Diversity Associated with Birth Weight in Maternity Hospitals in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire)

“…Mothers with high gestational weight gain (>7 kg) gave birth to children with higher birth weight (P=0.000) compared to children of mothers with low gestational weight gain (≤7 kg). Similar results have been reported in many studies [18,19]. This could be explained by the positive correlation (r=0.356; P=0.002, results not shown) between the gestational weight gain of the women in this study and the dietary diversity score, which would have helped the newborn to gain more weight.…”

“…In addition, fetal growth and birth weight are also influenced by maternal weight, height, body mass index (BMI) and total gestational weight gain [16][17][18][19][20]. From these anthropometric measurements, BMI during pregnancy and gestational weight gain have been identified as the most important determinants of birth weight [19,20].…”

Changing trends of birth weight with maternal age: a cross-sectional study in Xi'an city of Northwestern China

“…Abnormal BW, including low birth weight (LBW, BW < 2500 g) and macrosomia (BW ≥ 4000 g), signi cantly increases the risk of perinatal mortality and morbidity [2]. It is considered a marker of age-related disease and longevity risk, as LBW has been associated with increased cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus in adulthood, and macrosomia infants has been highly predisposed to metabolic syndrome in adulthood [3,4]. As the most common adverse birth outcome, the incidence of abnormal BW is generally high in the world.…”

“…Previous studies indicated that the relationship between maternal age and birth weight was inconsistent [4,12,[14][15][16]. Most of the previous studies focused on the incidence of LWB and macrosomia in different age groups by xed classi cation of maternal age [14,16], which might underestimate age-related risk for women in younger age groups and overestimate risks for mothers in older age groups [17].…”

Effect of maternal age and gestational weight gain on anthropometry of the newborn in semi urban area of Chhattisgarh, India

“…Similarly, Tela FG et al, conducted a prospective observational study on the effect of GWG on birth weight in Ethiopian women among 332 mother baby pairs. 8,9 Both concluded that GWG had significant effect on birth weight. Considering this, the present study has been planned to evaluate the effects of maternal age and GWG on their infant's anthropometry in semi urban area of Durg district of Chhattisgarh.…”