Abstract
BackgroundPre-pregnancy nutritional status and weight gain during pregnancy have short- and long-term consequences for the health of women and children. This study was aimed at evaluating maternal height,- and overweight or obesity at the beginning of the pregnancy and gestational weight gain, according to socioeconomic status and maternal skin colour of mothers in Pelotas, a southern Brazilian city, in 1982, 1993, 2004 and 2015.MethodsIn 1982, 1993, 2004 and 2015, the maternity hospitals in Pelotas were visited daily, all deliveries were identified and mothers who lived in the urban area of the city were interviewed. Maternal weight at the beginning of the pregnancy was self-reported by the mother or obtained from the antenatal card. Maternal height was collected from the maternity records or measured by the research team. Overweight or obesity was defined by a body mass index ≥25 kg/m2. Gestational weight gain was evaluated according to the Institute of Medicine guidelines.ResultsIn the four cohorts, we evaluated 19 931 women. From 1982 to 2015, the prevalence of overweight or obesity at the beginning of the pregnancy increased from 22.1% to 47.0% and height increased by an average of 5.2 cm, whereas gestational weight gain did not change. Socioeconomic status was positively associated with maternal height, and the difference between the poorest and the wealthiest decreased. Overweight or obesity was lower among those mothers in the extreme categories of family income.ConclusionsOver the 33-year span, mothers were taller at the beginning of the pregnancy, but the prevalence of overweight or obesity more than doubled.
Highlights
Maternal nutritional status during pregnancy is often evaluated through anthropometric indicators such as prepregnancy height, weight and body mass index (BMI), and by weight gain during pregnancy
Regarding maternal weight at the end of the pregnancy, in 1982 and 1993 women were weighed at hospital admission wearing light clothes and without shoes, using a scale (Filizola, precision 100 g) that was calibrated weekly by the research team using standard weights, and this information was abstracted by the research team from the maternity records
Whereas the prevalence of underweight declined from 7.8% to 3.7%, there was a marked increase in the prevalence of pre-pregnancy overweight or obesity, which affected about half of all women in 2015
Summary
Maternal nutritional status during pregnancy is often evaluated through anthropometric indicators such as prepregnancy height, weight and body mass index (BMI), and by weight gain during pregnancy. Pre-pregnancy nutritional status and weight gain during pregnancy have short- and long-term consequences for the health of women and children. This study was aimed at evaluating maternal height,- and overweight or obesity at the beginning of the pregnancy and gestational weight gain, according to socioeconomic status and maternal skin colour of mothers in Pelotas, a southern Brazilian city, in 1982, 1993, 2004 and 2015. From 1982 to 2015, the prevalence of overweight or obesity at the beginning of the pregnancy increased from 22.1% to 47.0% and height increased by an average of 5.2 cm, whereas gestational weight gain did not change. Conclusions: Over the 33-year span, mothers were taller at the beginning of the pregnancy, but the prevalence of overweight or obesity more than doubled
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