Socio-Demographic Correlates of Pre-Pregnancy Body Mass Index and Gestational Weight Gain Among Low-Income Women in Hawai’i WIC

Abstract

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to identify the socio-demographic correlates of pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) among low-income women in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program in Hawai‘i. Methods Participants were low-income pregnant women (n = 83) in Hawaii enrolled in a four-month text message-based nutrition intervention program. Participants reported pre-pregnancy weight and height and completed a demographics questionnaire. GWG was calculated by subtracting the last weight taken before delivery from pre-pregnancy weight. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between demographic variables and pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG. Results BMI before pregnancy, age and number of children were associated with GWG. Women who were obese before pregnancy gained 33 pounds less compared to those who had normal BMI (95% CI: 17 to 50, P < 0.0001). Women in the age group 30–35 gained 25 pounds (95% CI: 4 to 45, P = 0.012) and 27 pounds (95% CI: 9 to 45, P = 0.004) more compared to age groups 18–24 and 24–34, respectively. Those with three to five children gained 13.6 pounds less weight (95% CI: 0 to 28, P = 0.05): than those with fewer children. Additionally, age and race/ethnicity were marginally associated with BMI before pregnancy. The age group 30–35 had the highest BMI before pregnancy (P = 0.08) and Asian had lower BMI before pregnancy than the other races/ethnicities (P = 0.04). Conclusions Being 30–35 years old and having 3–5 children were associated with gaining more weight during pregnancy. These socio-demographic factors should be taken into account when designing interventions for promoting an adequate GWG. Funding Sources Mountain West Clinical Translational Research Infrastructure Network under a grant from National Institute of General Medicine Sciences of the National Institute of Health.