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Attitudes about diet during pregnancy may affect gestational weight gain
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Overweight and obese women who gained appropriate amounts of weight during pregnancy were shown to have followed deliberate diet plans, whereas those who gained excessive amounts of weight tended to have weight-gain goals that were set too high, according to researchers from the Penn State College of Medicine.
They conducted postpartum interviews with women enrolled in the Penn State First Baby Study (n=29) regarding their level of exercise, eating habits and weight-gain goals during pregnancy. Women in the First Baby Study were pregnant with their first child and were regularly monitored for weight gain. To be eligible for the study, women had to meet criteria for being overweight (BMI, 25-29.9) or obese (BMI, ≥30). Fourteen of the women who participated in the study were classified as overweight, and 15 were classified as obese.
Eleven of the women studied met appropriate weight-gain guidelines during pregnancy and 18 exceeded recommended weight gain limits. Many of those who exceeded weight-gain guidelines told interviewers they were "eating for two" and had significantly increased caloric intake during pregnancy. Nearly all participants who exceeded target weight gain exercised less during pregnancy and did not meet federal exercise guidelines of 150 minutes of moderately intense exercise per week. Both groups of women — those who gained appropriate amounts of weight and those who gained too much — told researchers that their prenatal health care providers gave them feedback suggesting their weight gain was appropriate.
Participants whose weight gain fell into a desirable range said they made conscious decisions about eating healthy and consumed frequent, smaller meals and healthy snacks. Those who met weight-gain goals also reported a higher frequency of exercise.
"Overall, the women were more goal-oriented in terms of regulating weight during pregnancy," researcher Cynthia Chuang, MD, MSc, associate professor of medicine and public health sciences at Penn State College of Medicine, said in a press release.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures
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