Associations Between Overweight in Early Pregnancy and Newborn Conditions: A Focus on the SDGs, With Emphasis on SDG 3 for Ensuring Healthy Lives and Well-Being for All Ages

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the links between overweight in women giving birth in early pregnancy and the condition of their newborns at the Souissi maternity hospital in Rabat, two factors closely linked to the achievement of the 3rd Sustainable Development Goal, which is based on ensuring healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective descriptive study conducted over a 9-month period from March to November 2022, at the Souissi maternity hospital in Rabat. Including mothers of newborns who followed their pregnancy, were either normal weight or overweight at the beginning of pregnancy, and had an uncomplicated pregnancy. Results: A total of 1,145 newborns were recruited. With a response rate of 81.65% and using a mixed questionnaire, the number of newborns surveyed was 935, subdivided into two groups. A group of mothers of normal-bodied newborns (637 cases) and a group of mothers of overweight newborns (298 cases). This study showed the existence of associations between overweight at the start of pregnancy, recorded in the mothers of the newborns surveyed, and the term of delivery (P=0.033), the course of delivery (P=0.031), the mode of delivery (P=0.005), the Apgar score at 5min below 7 (P=0.004) and neonatal complications (P=0.002). Discussion: This study, found that 68.13% of surveyed mothers had a normal BMI, while 31.87% were overweight at the beginning of pregnancy. They were more likely to have overdue deliveries (70.80% vs. 25.27% for normal-weight mothers) and dystocic deliveries (25.50% vs. 4.24%). Overweight status also correlated with higher rates of vaginal delivery (27.18% vs. 0.78% for normal-weight mothers) and poorer Apgar scores (36.58% vs. 12.56%).