Abstract
(1) Background: Postpartum weight may increase compared to pre-pregnancy due to weight retention or decrease due to weight loss. Both changes could pose deleterious effects on maternal health and subsequent pregnancy outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to assess postpartum weight change and its associated factors. (2) Methods: A total of 585 women from the KIlte-Awlaelo Tigray Ethiopia (KITE) cohort were included in the analysis. (3) Results: The mean pre-pregnancy body mass index and weight gain during pregnancy were 19.7 kg/m2 and 10.8 kg, respectively. At 18 to 24 months postpartum, the weight change ranged from −3.2 to 5.5 kg (mean = 0.42 kg [SD = 1.5]). In addition, 17.8% of women shifted to normal weight and 5.1% to underweight compared to the pre-pregnancy period. A unit increase in weight during pregnancy was associated with higher weight change (β = 0.56 kg, 95% CI [0.52, 0.60]) and increased probability to achieve normal weight (AOR = 1.65, 95% CI [1.37, 2.00]). Food insecurity (AOR = 5.26, 95% CI [1.68, 16.50]), however, was associated with a shift to underweight postpartum. Interestingly, high symptoms of distress (AOR = 0.13, 95% CI [0.03, 0.48]) also negatively impacted a change in weight category. (4) Conclusions: In low-income settings such as northern Ethiopia, higher weight gain and better mental health during pregnancy may help women achieve a better nutritional status after pregnancy and before a possible subsequent pregnancy.
Highlights
High postpartum weight retention may contribute to obesity and adverse health outcomes, including chronic non-communicable diseases [9,10,11]
We investigated a wide range of factors with respect to their association with postpartum weight change in a population of pregnant women in the northern part of Ethiopia
Gaining more weight during pregnancy within the range recommended by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) guideline was associated with a higher postpartum weight change [62,63] and shifting from lower to normal weight category. These results show that adequate gestational weight gain is essential to optimize maternal health in low-income countries where pre-pregnancy undernutrition is prevalent
Summary
The optimal weight increase depends on pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI). To this end, specific weight gain ranges according to pre-pregnancy BMI categories are recommended by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines [1]. In low-income countries where undernutrition is widespread, retaining some weight after pregnancy may be translated into better nutritional status (a change from underweight to normal weight category). It may have an advantageous effect on maternal and child health outcomes [15]
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