Are women in Uganda gaining adequate gestational weight? A prospective study in low income urban Kampala

Abstract

BackgroundPre-pregnancy weight and weight gained during pregnancy significantly influence maternal and infant health. Little information is available regarding optimal gestational weight gain (GWG) in relation to pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) in Uganda. The study aimed at determining gestational weight gain (GWG) in women pregnant for the first and second time.MethodsThe study was prospective cohort study which included 221 HIV negative women pregnant for the first or second time. It was conducted in the antenatal clinic of the directorate of gynecology and obstetrics, Mulago hospital and women were recruited at ≤18 weeks of gestation by dates. Follow up measurements were done at 26 and 36 weeks gestation. Measured maternal height and reported pre-pregnancy weight were used to calculate BMI. Depending on BMI category, GWG was categorized as inadequate, adequate and excessive based on the Uganda Ministry of Health guidelines.ResultsThe participants’ mean ± standard deviation (Sd) age was 20.9 ± 2.7 years and mean ± Sd BMI was 21.40 ± 2.73 kg/m2. None of the participants was obese and 68.8% (n = 132) were pregnant for the first time. The mean ± Sd GWG at time of delivery was 10.58 ± 2.44 kg. Inadequate GWG was recorded in 62.5% (n = 120/192) while only 3.1% (n = 6/192) of the participants gained excessive weight during pregnancy.ConclusionAbout 62% of pregnant women in Kampala did not gain adequate weight during their first/second pregnancy. We recommend that studies be carried out to assess whether the Uganda Ministry of Health recommendations for weight gain during are appropriate for preventing adverse pregnancy outcomes across populations in Uganda.

Prevalence and temporal trends in prepregnancy nutritional status and gestational weight gain of adult women followed in the Brazilian Food and Nutrition Surveillance System from 2008 to 2018

“…The mean total GWG observed in Brazil in 2018 (11.1 kg for all women) is similar to values observed in Mexico (11.7 kg) (Zonana‐Nacach et al, 2010 ) and Uganda (10.6 kg) (Wanyama et al, 2018 ) but lower to that reported from China in 2016 (15.6 kg) (Xiao et al, 2017 ). In a recent study, Carrilho, Farias, et al ( 2020 ) used pooled data from Brazilian studies conducted between 1990 and 2016 and found a mean total GWG of 12.7 kg, which is also close to the mean total GWG observed in the current study.…”

Decision-to-delivery interval of emergency cesarean section in Uganda: a retrospective cohort study

“…Approximately 22% of all deliveries in the study centre are by caesarean section, of which8 5% are by emergency cesarean section [16]. This high volume combined with the socio-economic challenges [15], poor baseline health status [17,18], and lack of antenatal care [19] experienced by mothers presenting to the hospital, has resulted in high rates of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality [20,21]. Studies from this setting have shown that obstetric service provision is not uniform during a 24-h shift cycle [22].…”

Pattern of weight gain in pregnant women in slum areas of Hamadan using multilevel ordinal regression

“…In this study, pre-pregnancy BMI was calculated by respondents' height and weight before pregnancy and classified into four groups according to WHO standard criteria (Table 1 ) [ 27 ]. Also, the allowable total weight gain range and rates of weight gain from the beginning of week 13 onwards according to the IOM recommendation is presented in this table [ 28 ]. Women with GWG under the recommended range are considered as inadequate weight gain, those with GWG within the recommended range are regarded as adequate weight gain, and women with GWG above the recommended range are considered as excessive weight gain [ 29 ].…”