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QuickStats: Percentage of Women* Who Gained <15 Pounds During Pregnancy, by Age Group and Race/Ethnicity of Mother --- United States, 2005§

Percentage of Women* Who Gained <15 Pounds During Pregnancy,
by Age Group and Race/Ethnicity† of Mother — United States, 2005§

* Includes only mothers with a term (>37 completed week's gestation), singleton delivery.

Includes non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic women (who might be of any race). Data for other women are included in the total.

§ Excludes data for California. Total number of women who gained <15 pounds was 26,179 for those aged <20 years; 229,031 for those aged 20--34 years; and 41,582 for those aged >35 years.

The recommended amount of weight gain during pregnancy is based on a woman's height and prepregnancy weight. Maternal weight gain of <15 pounds is not recommended for women having a singleton birth, regardless of the woman's height and prepregnancy weight. Inadequate weight gain has been associated with an increased risk for intrauterine growth retardation, low birthweight, and perinatal mortality. In 2005, overall, 10% of mothers of term singletons gained <15 pounds. Differences by age and race/ethnicity were substantial. For all racial/ethnic groups, inadequate weight gain increased with age. Non-Hispanic black women of all ages were more likely than non-Hispanic white and Hispanic women to gain <15 pounds during pregnancy.

SOURCES: National Vital Statistics System annual natality file. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/vitalstats.htm.

Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Sutton PD, et al. Births: final data for 2005. Natl Vital Stat Rep 2007;56(6). Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr56/nvsr56_06.pdf.

Ehrenberg HM, Dierker L, Milluzzi C, Mercer BM. Low maternal weight, failure to thrive in pregnancy, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2003;189:1726--30.

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Date last reviewed: 3/19/2008

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