Factors Associated with Excessive Gestational Weight Gain Among Brazilian Mothers.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Gestational Weight Gain (GWG) is an important predictor of maternal and child health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study was carried out in a public maternity unit of a hospital in a Brazilian metropolis that aimed to evaluate the factors associated with excessive GWG. Data were collected on food consumption, anthropometry, and on socioeconomic, demographic, and health status. The GWG was obtained by consulting each woman's gestational record. The association between GWG and the other variables was assessed using the chi-square test with the Bonferroni correction, with a significance level of 5%. RESULTS: We evaluated 98 mothers with a mean age of 25.4 ± 6.8 years and a postpartum time of 2.5 ± 1.2 days. Before pregnancy, 42.9% of this population was overweight. The mean GWG was 12.2 ± 6.5 kg, with 39.8% classified with excessive GWG. A higher prevalence of excessive GWG was observed among mothers who had higher per capita income (p = 0.003), had had cesarean delivery (p = 0.016), lower limbs edema (p = 0.012), and excess weight before pregnancy (p = 0.001). There was no significant association of GWG with eating habits. CONCLUSIONS: Excessive GWG is associated with socioeconomic and nutritional factors. Nutritional monitoring during prenatal care may favor effective interventions and contribute to positive outcomes for both maternal and child health.