EFFECT OF THE LOW PREVALENCE FIRST YEAR OF COVID-19 ON WEIGHT CHANGES DURING PREGNANCY IN A MULTIETHNIC AUSTRALIAN POPULATION

ABSTRACT

Background: Obesity and excessive gestational weight gain are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on weight and weight gain during pregnancy are unknown. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of all singleton pregnancies before (January 2018-January 2020) and during the low prevalence first year of COVID-19 (February 2020-January 2021). Demographic data, booking BMI and rate of weight gain were compared between time periods. Results: 14908 patients (9544 before and 5364 during the COVID-19 first year) met the inclusion criteria. There was a trend towards higher booking BMI (25.5 ± 0.1 kg/m2 during vs 25.3 ± 0.1 kg/m2 before COVID-19, p = 0.08) and higher rate of obesity (17.0% vs 16.5%, p = 0.08) during the COVID-19 first year. Rate of weight gain in pregnancy was greater during COVID-19 (0.539 ± 0.006 kg/week vs 0.505 ± 0.004 kg/week, p < 0.001), driven by the greater difference in rate of 2nd trimester weight gain (0.664 ± 0.010 kg/week during vs 0.571 ± 0.007 kg/week before COVID-19, p < 0.001). After adjusting for maternal age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and booking BMI, the COVID-19 first year was associated with significantly greater rate of weight gain (β = 0.02, p = 0.001). Rate of weight gain recommended for BMI was achieved in fewer pregnancies during COVID-19 (14.4% vs 16.3%, p = 0.007). Conclusions: The first year of COVID-19 was associated with a greater rate of gestational weight gain and a lower proportion of patients achieving recommended weight gain. This likely reflects the impact of COVID-19 restrictions in the community of Western Sydney and may have contributed to adverse pregnancy outcomes during the low prevalence first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.