Gestational Weight Gain and Different Degrees of Preterm Birth: A Hospital-Based Study in Chinese Singleton Pregnancies.
Xiaomei Xiang, Weihua Wang, Yan Yu and 1 others
PMID 41237256WHAT IT FOUND
Low gestational weight gain strongly increased preterm birth risk, especially very preterm.
Excess weight gain appeared protective against preterm birth but carries other risks. Aim for guideline-based weight gain rather than encouraging excess gain to prevent preterm birth.
Key findings
01Mothers with low gestational weight gain had a 2.13-fold higher risk of preterm birth compared to those with adequate gain after adjusting for confounders.
02The risk associated with low weight gain was highest for very preterm birth (OR 4.06) and decreased for late preterm birth (OR 1.40).
03Excess gestational weight gain was associated with a reduced risk of preterm birth (OR 0.42), but the authors caution against interpreting this as a recommendation for excess gain due to other adverse outcomes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study is observational, so it cannot prove causation; unmeasured confounders may influence the results. Participants were selected from a single province in China, limiting generalizability to other populations. The study did not differentiate between spontaneous and medically indicated preterm births, which may have different risk factors. Data on maternal diet and physical activity were not collected, so the mechanisms behind the weight gain associations are unclear. The exclusion of mothers with chronic conditions and unhealthy lifestyles creates a relatively healthy cohort, which may not reflect the general pregnant population.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the National Health Commission of China and other local scientific research projects.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the protective association of excess weight gain against preterm birth as a recommendation to encourage excessive weight gain. The authors explicitly state that excess weight gain can lead to other adverse perinatal outcomes, and the goal should be adequate, guideline-based weight gain.