Misperceived Pre-Pregnancy Weight and Excessive Weight Gain During Pregnancy
Author Information
Author(s): Sharon J Herring, Emily Oken, Jess Haines, Janet W Rich-Edwards, Sheryl L Rifas-Shiman, Ken P Kleinman, Matthew W Gillman
Primary Institution: Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Hypothesis
Women who underassessed or overassessed their pre-pregnancy weight status would be at increased risk of excessive gestational weight gain compared to women who accurately assessed their pre-pregnancy weight status.
Conclusion
Misperceived pre-pregnancy body weight status was associated with excessive gestational weight gain among both normal weight and overweight/obese women, with the greatest likelihood of excessive gain among overweight/obese underassessors.
Supporting Evidence
- 54% of participants gained excessively during pregnancy.
- Normal weight overassessors had twice the odds of excessive weight gain.
- Overweight/obese underassessors had seven-fold increased odds of excessive weight gain.
Takeaway
If pregnant women think they are heavier or lighter than they really are, they might gain too much weight during pregnancy, which can be bad for both them and their babies.
Methodology
Participants reported weight, height, and perceived body weight status via questionnaire, and multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze the odds of excessive gestational weight gain.
Potential Biases
Potential recall bias in self-reported weight and weight perception.
Limitations
The cohort was highly educated and mostly white, which may limit generalizability; self-reported pre-pregnancy weight may be underestimated.
Participant Demographics
Mean age was 32.3 years; 72% were white; 68% were college graduates.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% CI: 1.3, 3.0 for normal weight overassessors; 95% CI: 2.2, 3.9 for overweight/obese accurate assessors; 95% CI: 3.4, 17.0 for overweight/obese underassessors.
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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