IJPDS International Journal of Population Data Science

How big a problem is obesity in pregnancy? Three researchers from Queen’s University Belfast, in Northern Ireland undertook a research study to find out. They found that across the world, one in five pregnant women are living with obesity (20%), and this rate is increasing over time. By 2030 it is likely that close to one in four women will enter pregnancy with obesity (23%).

In most cases, living with obesity while pregnant will not cause any serious problems. However, for some women, it can lead to dangerous complications during pregnancy for mums and babies. Pregnant women with obesity can experience more challenging births, or develop conditions such as diabetes and pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure in pregnancy). These complications can also cause problems for babies. They might be born prematurely, be over- or under-weight, or in very extreme cases, might be stillborn.

Given that we know that being a healthy weight when pregnant might reduce risks for mothers and babies, why is it is important that we understand rates of obesity in pregnancy? Why not just make changes to promote healthy weight? One reason is that that creating change across a large group of people is difficult when you don’t know the size of the problem. Visibility of rates of obesity in pregnancy helps countries to prioritise the resources they might need to tackle the problem. Another reason is that countries need to be able to monitor obesity rates in pregnancy to know what is working, and what is not so that they can introduce change.

Most pregnant women with obesity are living in North America and Australia/Oceania, and countries in these regions may require more resources to turn the tide. But the team found some worrying information gaps in Africa and Asia. In these areas of the world, they found that weight before and during pregnancy is not normally monitored at population level. This means that in Africa and Asia, rates of obesity in pregnancy are still not fully understood. To help improve this information gap, further resources are needed to help shape women’s healthcare and improve recording of healthcare data.

Weight and pregnancy remain a sensitive and challenging subject for women, their partners and healthcare professionals. Understanding the extent of obesity in pregnancy is a step forward in learning how best to support women. By shining a light on the growing problem of obesity in pregnancy this research supports a growing number of voices who call for change across the world to promote healthy weight in pregnancy.

If you are reading this and are feeling worried, particularly if you are pregnant with obesity and have any concerns, please speak to your doctor or midwife for advice and support.

 

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Lisa Kent, Research Fellow and Data Scientist in Maternal and Child Health, Queen's University Belfast, Meabh McGirr, Currently studying Medicine at Ulster University, Graduate of Biomedical Sciences (Hons), Queen's University Belfast, and Dr Kelly-Ann Eastwood, Consultant Obstetrician and Sub-Specialist in Maternal and Foetal Medicine

Kent, L., Eastwood, K.-A. and McGirr, M. (2024) “Global trends in prevalence of maternal overweight and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis ”, International Journal of Population Data Science, 9(2). doi: 10.23889/ijpds.v9i2.2401.