Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Jun;212(6):806.e1-8.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2015.01.030. Epub 2015 Jan 28.

Trends in gestational weight gain: the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, 2000-2009

Affiliations

Trends in gestational weight gain: the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, 2000-2009

Jonetta L Johnson et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2015 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: Achieving adequate gestational weight gain (GWG) is important for optimal health of the infant and mother. We estimate current population-based trends of GWG.

Study design: We analyzed data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System for 124,348 women who delivered live infants in 14 states during 2000 through 2009. We examined prevalence and trends in GWG in pounds as a continuous variable, and within 1990 Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations (yes/no) as a dichotomous variable. We examined adjusted trends in mean GWG using multivariable linear regression and GWG within recommendations using multivariable multinomial logistic regression.

Results: During 2000 through 2009, 35.8% of women gained within IOM GWG recommendations, 44.4% gained above, and 19.8% gained below. From 2000 through 2009, there was a biennial 1.0 percentage point decrease in women gaining within IOM GWG recommendations (P trend < .01) and a biennial 0.8 percentage point increase in women gaining above IOM recommendations (P trend < .01). The percentage of women gaining weight below IOM recommendations remained relatively constant from 2000 through 2009 (P trend = .14). The adjusted odds of gaining within IOM recommendations were lower in 2006 through 2007 (adjusted odds ratio, 0.90; 95% confidence interval, 0.85-0.96) and 2008 through 2009 (adjusted odds ratio, 0.90; 95% confidence interval, 0.85-0.96) relative to 2000 through 2001.

Conclusion: Overall, from 2000 through 2009 the percentage of women gaining within IOM recommendations slightly decreased while mean GWG slightly increased. Efforts are needed to develop and implement strategies to ensure that women achieve GWG within recommendations.

Keywords: Institute of Medicine gestational weight gain recommendations; Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System; gestational weight gain; prepregnancy body mass index; trend.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1. Distribution of GWG by mean and 1990 IOM recommendations, PRAMS
Percentage of women gaining according to 1990 Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations by prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) status on left y-axis and distribution of mean gestational weight gain (GWG) by prepregnancy BMI status on right y-axis.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2. Trends in mean GWG by prepregnancy BMI, PRAMS
Unadjusted trends from 2000 through 2009 in mean gestational weight gain (GWG) overall and stratified by prepregnancy body mass index (BMI).
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3. GWG within 1990 IOM recommendations by prepregnancy BMI, PRAMS
Trends in gestational weight gain (GWG) within 1990 Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations overall and stratified by prepregnancy body mass index (BMI).

References

    1. Institute of Medicine . Weight gain during pregnancy: reexamining the guidelines. National Academies Press; Washington, DC: 2009. - PubMed
    1. Siega-Riz A, Siega-Riz A, Laraia B. The implications of maternal overweight and obesity on the course of pregnancy and birth outcomes. Matern Child Health J. 2006;10:S153–6. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Viswanathan M, Siega-Riz A, Moos M-K, et al. AHRQ publication no. 08-E009. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Rockville, MD: 2008. Outcomes of maternal weight gain, evidence report/technology assessment no. 168. (Prepared by RTI International-University of North Carolina Evidence-based Practice Center under contract no. 290-02-0016.)
    1. Alavi N, Haley S, Chow K, McDonald SD. Comparison of national gestational weight gain guidelines and energy intake recommendations. Obes Rev. 2013;14:68–85. - PubMed
    1. Siega-Riz A, Viswanathan M, Moos M, et al. A systematic review of outcomes of maternal weight gain according to the Institute of Medicine recommendations: birthweight, fetal growth, and postpartum weight rentention. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2009;201:339.e1–14. - PubMed

Publication types