Gestational weight gain and its determinant factors among women attending at public health facilities, Northwest Ethiopia, 2023.

Background: Women who do not gain enough weight during pregnancy had increased risk of preterm delivery, low birth weight, prematurity, a longer hospital stay, and consequently, higher health-related costs. However, research on gestational weight gain and its determinants is scarce in developing countries, including Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess adequate gestational weight gain and its determinant factors among pregnant women who had ANC follow-up visits at public health facilities in Debre Markos town, Northwest Ethiopia.

Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from January 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023. The Ethiopian National Antenatal Guideline (ENAG) was used to define Gestational Weight Gain (GWG). A systematic random sampling technique was employed to select 532 study participants. Data was entered into Epidata Version 3.1 and exported into SPSS Version 25 for statistical analysis. Bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between the outcome variable and independent variables. An adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was used to report the strength of the association.

Results: This study found that 30.9% (95% CI: 27.0, 34.7) of women gained adequate gestational weight. Number of ANC visits (AOR = 5.9, 95% CI: 3.02, 14.7), Meal frequency (AOR = 3.2, 95% CI: 1.56, 6.67), and consumption of animal source foods at least once per week (AOR = 2.7, 95% CI: 1.47, 4.90) were statistically associated with adequate weight gain.

Conclusion and recommendation: Nearly one-third of pregnant women gain adequate gestational weight. Women who had frequent ANC visits, meal frequency, and consumption of animal source foods at least once per week were significantly associated with adequate gestational weight gain. Women centered nutritional counseling and support is essential to improve weight gain during pregnancy.