Return to military weight standards after pregnancy in active duty working women: comparison of marine corps vs. navy

Abstract

Objective: To compare the likelihood of being within weight standards before and after pregnancy between United States Marine Corps (USMC) and Navy (USN) active duty women (ADW). Methods: ADW with singleton gestations who delivered at a USMC base were followed for 6 months to determine likelihood of returning to military weight standards. Odds ratio (OR), adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated; p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Similar proportions of USN and USMC ADW were within body weight standards one year prior to pregnancy (79%, 97%) and at first prenatal visit (69%, 96%), respectively. However, USMC ADW were significantly more likely to be within body weight standards at 3 months (AOR 4.30,1.28–14.43) and 6 months after delivery (AOR 9.94, 1.53–64.52) than USN ADW. Weight gained during pregnancy did not differ significantly for the two groups (40.4 lbs vs 44.2 lbs, p = 0.163). The likelihood of spontaneous vaginal delivery was significantly higher (OR 2.52, 1.20–5.27) and the mean birth weight was significantly lower (p = 0.0036) among USMC ADW as compared to USN ADW. Conclusions: Being within weight standards differs significantly for USMC and USN ADW after pregnancy.