How Does Group Prenatal Care Impact Weight Gain In Pregnancy?

HealthDay News — Group prenatal care is associated with excess gestational weight gain among normal-weight and overweight women, according to a study published online in Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Michelle A Kominiarek, MD, from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study involving 2,117 women who participated in group prenatal care and were matched with women who received individual prenatal care. They compared demographics and antenatal complications for the women in group and individual prenatal care. Weight gain was categorized as below, met, or exceeded goals according to the 2009 Institute of Medicine guidelines.

The researchers found that women in group prenatal care more often exceeded the weight gain goals (55% vs 48%; P <.001). The differences in gestational weight gain were seen for normal-weight (47% vs 41% exceeded; P =.001) and overweight women (69% vs 54% exceeded; P <.001). The increased odds for excessive gestational weight gain persisted among normal-weight and overweight women (odds ratios [OR]: 1.28 and 1.84, respectively) even after adjustment for age, race-ethnicity, parity, education, and tobacco use. Nulliparity correlated with increased odds of excessive gestational weight gain (OR: 1.49), while Hispanic ethnicity correlated with reduced odds (OR: 0.68).

“Among normal-weight or overweight women, group prenatal care, compared with individual prenatal care, is associated with excessive gestational weight gain,” the authors write.

Reference

Kominiarek M, Crockett A, Covington-Kolb S, Simon M, Grobman W. Association of group prenatal care with gestational weight gain [published online March 6, 2017]. Obstet Gynecol. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000001940