The Relationship between Mother's Body Mass Index before Pregnancy with Anthropometric Indicators of Birth and Some Pregnancy Outcomes:A Retrospective Cohort Study

Recent studies have shown conflicting results regarding the effect of the mother's pre-pregnancy body mass index on pregnancy outcomes. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the relationship between the body mass index of the mother before pregnancy and the anthropometric indices at the birth of the baby and some pregnancy outcomes.

This retrospective cohort study was conducted in 2019 on pregnant women referred to Nik Nafs and Ali Ibn Abi Talib Hospital in Rafsanjan. Three hundred eligible people were included in the study using convenience sampling. Information about mothers was collected using their health and preconception care records. After collecting the data, it was analyzed using chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, logistic regression, and multivariable proportional odds model.

The results showed that 147 (49%) mothers were overweight and obese (exposure group). The rate of caesarean delivery and premature delivery was significantly higher in the exposure group (p<0.05). The results of logistic regression and multivariable proportional odds model showed that the chance of having babies with short stature, abnormal head circumference, and overweight was higher in obese women than in normal women but it was not statistically significant (p<0.05).

Abnormal body mass index can play a role in causing adverse effects of mother and fetus and also anthropometric indices at the birth of the baby. Therefore, evaluating the weight and body mass index of the mother before pregnancy and controlling overweight and obesity, these complications can be prevented.