Factors associated with postpartum weight retention in women attending a public hospital in the Province of Buenos Aires.

Abstract

Pregnancy carries the potential risk of developing and maintaining a nutritional status characterized by persistent obesity. This can be magnified when weight gains exceed established recommendations. This postpartum weight retention can significantly contribute to long-term excess weight and cardiovascular events.

Objective: to describe weight retention at 3 and/or 6 months postpartum in women who consulted at the Pediatric Development and Research Institute (IDIP).

Methodology: analytical, retrospective cross-sectional study. Data were collected from the medical records of women who underwent health check-ups at 3 and/or 6 months postpartum. Multiple linear regressions were performed relating postpartum weight retention to those conditioning factors.

Results: The sample was made up of 257 women who underwent controls at 3 months and 577 at 6 months postpartum. Weight retention at 3 months postpartum was negatively associated with primiparity, higher level of education, newborn weight and exclusive breastfeeding, while at 6 months it was only found with these last two factors. Weight retention at 3 and 6 months was positively related to gestational weight gain.

Conclusion: Postpartum weight retention increases influenced by weight gain during pregnancy, but primiparity, schooling, newborn weight and breastfeeding seem to be factors that contribute to reducing it.