Ethnic differences in postpartum weight retention: a Norwegian cohort study

Abstract

Objective To explore ethnic differences in weight retention 14 weeks postpartum.Design Population-based cohort study.Setting The STORK Groruddalen Study.Population A multi-ethnic cohort of healthy pregnant women attending primary antenatal care at three public Child Health Clinics, in Oslo, Norway (n = 642).Methods An explanatory linear regression was performed to model the relationship between ethnicity and postpartum weight retention. Forward selection of 12 explanatory factors was used to adjust for potential confounding factors, based on univariate analysis and adjusted R 2 .Main outcome measure Postpartum weight retention.Results Unadjusted mean postpartum weight retention was 2.3 (4.9) kg for women from Western Europe and varied from 3.7 (3.5) to 6.3 (4.7) kg among the five ethnic minority groups. The proportion of women in the highest quintile (postpartum weight retention >8.5-24.4 kg) significantly differed by ethnicity (P < 0.01 for the proportion of women from South Asia, the Middle East and Africa compared with Western Europeans). Women from all ethnic minority groups had a higher relative increase in weight from pre-pregnancy to postpartum (P < 0.01) compared with Western Europeans. After adjustments for significant exposures, women from the Middle East retained 2.0 kg (95% CI: 1.0-3.0), South Asia 2.8 kg (91.9-3.6), and Africa 4.4 kg (3.1-5.8) more than Western Europeans (P < 0.01).Conclusions Significantly more women with an ethnic origin from South Asia, the Middle East and Africa had high postpartum weight retention compared with Western European women.

Ethnic differences in BMI, subcutaneous fat, and serum leptin levels during and after pregnancy and risk of gestational diabetes

“…Parity has been associated with a decrease in lower body fat and an increase in central fat depots (39). Possible explanations for the higher retention in South Asians may be cultural differences in physical activity and diet in general, particularly in the postpartum period (40). Weight gain during pregnancy was a strong predictor of weight retention after delivery in our cohort (40).…”

“…Possible explanations for the higher retention in South Asians may be cultural differences in physical activity and diet in general, particularly in the postpartum period (40). Weight gain during pregnancy was a strong predictor of weight retention after delivery in our cohort (40). Future studies should explore possible reasons for the higher postpartum weight retention in South Asians.…”

The accuracy of self‐reported pregnancy‐related weight: a systematic review

“…Most studies (62.9%) were conducted in the United States. Over half (61.3%) of populations were racially and ethnically heterogeneous . Cohorts represented births from 1959 to 2013 and length of recall ranged from three days to 32 years in the past .…”

“…Cohorts represented births from 1959 to 2013 and length of recall ranged from three days (20) to 32 years in the past (48,49). All but 18 studies (5,14,16,48,49,55,56,65,66,68,72,73,76,(79)(80)(81) were based on convenience samples of women recruited from clinics or hospitals at the time of their first prenatal visit or at time of delivery. Six studies were based on national samples from the US (48,49,54,62,66,76).…”

“…Length of recall ranged from 9.2 weeks post conception (53) to 32 years in the past (48). A total of 16 studies had short lengths of recall (within 20 weeks of conception; (19,38,39,43,53,(56)(57)(58)(59)(60)63,68,(82)(83)(84)(85)), five studies had medium lengths of recall (20 weeks after conception to 1 year post-pregnancy; (5,14,35,66,86)), and two studies had long lengths of recall (>1 year postpregnancy; (48,72)). Studies with short and medium length recalls had similar findings and are reported together here.…”