ADOLESCENT PREGNANCY AND SUBSEQUENT OBESITY IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN GIRLS

Purpose: Obesity is a significant contemporary health problem among African-American women. This study investigates whether excessive gestational weight gain during adolescent pregnancy is associated with subsequent obesity. Methods: Thirty previously pregnant African-American adolescents on whom there were extensive extant anthropometric and psychosocial data were evaluated approximately 3.3 years following delivery. Results: Rapid gestational weight gain (> .40 kg/wk) was associated with a 19.9% increase in body mass index (BMI); average gestational weight gain (.23 to .40 kg/wk) was associated with a 13.2% increase, and slow gestational weight gain (< .23 kg/wk) was associated with a 3.4% increase (difference between rapid and slow, p < 0.05). Adolescents who had high prepregnant BMIs were massively obese subsequently. Conclusions: 1. Rapid gestational weight gain is associated with a significantly greater percent change in the BMI compared with the slow gestational weight gain in adolescent pregnancy. 2. Adolescents who are obese prior to their first pregnancy often become even more obese on average 3.3 years following pregnancy. Such adolescents may be at particular risk of retaining gestational weight gain, and the consequences of their morbid obesity may be ultimately life-threatening.