Influence of Appetite and Perceived Ability to Control Cravings on Excessive Gestational Weight Gain.
Susan W Groth, Ying Meng, Kuan-Lin Yeh and 1 others
PMID 34474006WHAT IT FOUND
Pregnant women who reported being no hungrier or less hungry than before pregnancy were less likely to gain too much weight.
Women confident they could avoid overeating when they had cravings also seemed less likely, but that link faded when appetite was included.
Key findings
01Women who reported being a lot less hungry were significantly less likely to have excessive gestational weight gain than women who reported being a lot more hungry (OR = 0.28, p < 0.001, CI [0.15-0.55]).
02Women who were very or somewhat sure they could avoid overeating when they had cravings were significantly less likely to have excessive gestational weight gain than women who were very unsure (OR = 0.52, p = 0.02, CI [0.30-0.92]).
03When appetite and craving control were both included, being a lot less hungry remained significantly associated with lower excessive gestational weight gain (OR = 0.30, p < 0.001, CI [0.15-0.58]), while craving control was not significant.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample included only Black and White women, and over 80% were White, so the results may not apply to other racial or ethnic groups. Women who gave birth before 37 weeks were excluded. Appetite and craving control were measured by two single self-report questions, and scales that measure craving control have not been validated in pregnant women. The confidence intervals for appetite and craving-control associations were relatively large, which the authors link to the single-item and self-reported nature of the data. Craving control was not significant when appetite was also included, and appetite and craving control were related, so the study does not show an independent effect of craving control. The study analyzed associations from data collected before 28 weeks gestation and did not randomly assign women to different appetite or craving-control levels. The original online intervention did not prevent excessive gestational weight gain, so this secondary analysis does not show that an intervention based on these factors works.
Declared interests
The supplied publication types list Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; no author conflict declaration is included in the supplied article text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that appetite changes or craving control caused excessive gestational weight gain, or that discussing them will prevent it. The craving-control association was not significant when appetite was included, and the original online intervention did not prevent excessive gestational weight gain.