Trends in weight gain during pregnancy: a population study across 16 years in North Carolina.

Abstract

This study was undertaken to examine the proportion of women meeting established weight gain recommendations during pregnancy. Retrospective cohort using chi2 and logistic regression analysis of 1,463,936 registered North Carolina births from 1988 to 2003. The percentage of pregnant women achieving recommended weight gain decreased significantly (down 6.3%) between 1988 and 2003. Despite Institute of Medicine guidelines and a Healthy People 2010 goal aimed at improving the health of women and infants by optimizing weight gain during pregnancy, the proportion of women in North Carolina with inappropriately low or excessive weight gain increased. We need to reexamine interventions designed to support appropriate weight gain during pregnancy.