Funding outcome

Excessive weight gain during pregnancy is increasingly prevalent. In our previous study of over 1500 pregnant women, about 50% gained weight in excess of Health Canada's GWG guidelines. The excessive weight gain is especially alarming in women who were overweight or obese (70%) prior to pregnancy. A serious long-term health consequence of excessive weight gain is in the increased risk of obesity for both mother and child, which increases the risk of many chronic diseases, including diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and heart diseases. The excessive fat deposit during pregnancy is the main health culprit; however, little is known about how weight gain and weight retention relate to fat deposit during this critical time period in a woman's life. Using modern statistical modelling techniques and our data from a large number of pregnant women, we will study the patterns of fat deposit and utilization in different parts of the body and their relationships with body weight changes during pregnancy and early postpartum. Especially of interest is to find out how these relationships differ in women from different pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) categories. The new knowledge gained from our study will be shared with health care providers, policy makers and childbearing age women to promote appropriate weight and body composition.