Maternal Nutrition, Body Composition and Gestational Weight Gain on Low Birth Weight and Small for Gestational Age-A Cohort Study in an Indian Urban Slum

Maternal nutritional status and care during pregnancy are essential for adequate birth weight. In this prospective cohort study (N = 1061) in an urban slum, we investigated the association of maternal anthropometry, body composition, gestational weight gain and dietary intakes with low birthweight (LBW, <2.5 kg). About one-third of the women were short (<150 cm), 35% were underweight (<45 kg), 23% suffered from chronic energy deficiency (CED, BMI < 18.5 kg/m(2)) and another 30% were overweight/obese. The mean age and BMI were 23 years and 21.7 kg/m(2), respectively, and haemoglobin was 10.73 g/dL. The mean birthweight (N = 605) was 2.81 +/- 0.5 kg, and the average gestational age was 38 +/- 2 weeks. About 15% of infants had LBW, and 48% were small for gestational age (SGA). Maternal body composition was assessed by skinfold thickness (SFT) in all trimesters. In the first trimester (N = 762), we found that mean fat-free mass (FFM), fat mass (FM) and body fat percentage (% BF) were 38.86 kg, 11.43 kg and 21.55%, respectively. Low birthweight was significantly associated with preterm deliveries (p < 0.001) and less fat free mass (p = 0.02) in the third trimester. Among other factors were age (p = 0.017), maternal anthropometry (height: p = 0.031; weight: p = 0.059) and fewer antenatal check-ups (p = 0.037). Small size (SGA) was consistently associated with maternal bodyweight at all trimesters (term I, p = 0.013, term II, p = 0.003 and term III, p < 0.001), fat mass in the third trimester (p < 0.001) and maternal height (p = 0.003).

Automated summary

Maternal nutritional status and care during pregnancy play a crucial role in determining birth weight. This study found that low birthweight and small size for gestational age are associated with maternal body weight and composition, as well as preterm delivery and fewer antenatal check-ups.