Pregnancy is a state where the body requires more nutrients to support the growth and metabolism of maternal and fetal tissues, nutrient storage in the fetus, and preparation of maternal tissues for lactation. However, international recommendations for gestational weight gain during pregnancy are disputed in Asia by scholars from India and East-Asian countries like China, Korea, and Japan. They use “Asian adapted” overweight and obese classifications (e.g. obesity ≥ 27.5 kg/m² instead of 30 kg/m²). In this study, researchers investigate the feasibility of creating a smart-phone calculator for optimal gestational weight gain, especially for Indian pregnant women.
Four years ago, a study demonstrated that the maternal optimal gestational weight in term pregnancies (optGWG) is to have Appropriate for Gestational Age (AGA) term newborns (by definition 80% of a neonatal population, with 10% of SGA -small for gestational age- as well as 10% of LGA -Large for gestational age-). They found that there is an association with maternal pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index (ppBMI), and that this association is a linear curve (y= ax+b).
The researchers propose an alternative solution for Indian scientists/epidemiologists to confirm these findings in the Indian population, and establish their specific linear equation based on the SGA-LGA definitions of term newborns in India. The equation could be easily accessible on smartphones for health workers and women themselves. The Indian calculator will provide essential guidance to pregnant women from the beginning of their pregnancy, and will also be useful for the Indian diaspora around the world (e.g. Mauritius, Trinidad and Tobago, Fiji, French overseas territories, and others), where obesity is a significant problem.
The study concluded that by using the Indian Calculator, the rate of low-birthweights babies in lean women could possibly be reduced (by higher GWG than the international recommendations).
Author(s) Details:
Pierre-Yves Robillard,
Service de Néonatologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sud Réunion, La Réunion, France and Centre d’Etudes Périnatales Océan Indien (CEPOI), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sud Réunion, La Réunion, France.
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